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Relation  of  Food  to  Health 
and  Premature  Death 


By  GEO.  H.  TOWNSEND,  LL.B.. 


With  the  collaboration  of 


FELIX  J.  LEVY,  A.M.,  M.D. 
H.  G.  NICKS,  M.D., 

Lecturer  on  Hygiene^  Marion    Sims  Co/lcije  of  Medicine;    Atteiidii 
Ph'jaician  Woman'' s  Ilospilal ;  Director  Physical  Depart- 
ment Y.  M.  C.A.,  St.  Lotiis. 

AND 

GEO.  CLINTON  CRANDALL,  B.  S.  M.  D. 

Professor  of  General  Medicine,  3Iariou  Sinix 
College  ^f  .Medicine  ,^  St.  Loyis^  „ . 


ST.  LOUIS,  MO. 

Witt  Publishing  Company, 

1897. 


Copyrighted 
By  GEO.  H.  TOWNSEND. 

1896, 


PREKACB. 

This  is  an  age  of  wonderful  strides  in  production,  but 
we  fear  that  man,  in  improving  everything  else,  has,  in 
a  great  measure  lost  sight  of  himself.  To  the  scientist 
who  understands  something  of  the  wonderful  development 
of  nature,  when  free  from  hindrance,  there  is  nothing  so 
utterly  astonishing  as  the  weakness  and  folly  of  the  hu- 
man race.  Believing  that  ignorance  of  self  is  the  mother 
of  our  devouring  evils — disease,  vice  and  crime — the 
author,  with  the  assistance  of  his  collaborators,  has  un- 
dertaken to  blaze  out  a  road  to  a  better  and  higher  life, 
and  however  painstaking  the  effort,  it  would  be  too  much 
to  expect  that  our  labors  would  produce  results  that  ap- 
proached the  ideal.  It  is  hoped,  however,  that  this  book 
will  be  of  service  in  pointing  out  the  devious  windings 
into  which  appetite  and  surrounding  influences  often  al- 
lure the  thoughtless — resulting  in  their  discomfiture  and 
premature  death. 

Physical,  mental  and  moral  perfection  can  only  ex- 
ist when  our  lives  come  into  harmony  with  natural  laws, 
and  when  we  cease  to  antagonize  nature,  the  work  will 
be  done. 

If  we  have  made  plain  the  most  common  transgres 
sions  of  nature  and  how  to  minimize  their  effects,  our  pui- 
pose  will  have  been  accomplished. 

Geo.  h.  Townsend. 
St,  Louis,  Mo.,  July,  1897. 


377922 


CONTENTS. 

Chapter.  I'ages. 

1.  Introduction  -         .         .         .  1-13 

II.  Digestive  Organs  and  Processes  of 

Digestion       :         .         -         .  14-40 

III.  Classification  of  Foods   -         -  -           41-43 

IV.  Watrr                  ....  44-51 
V.  Bread,  Wheat  Foods       -         -  -           53-74 

VI.   Rye,  Corn  Breads,  Corn  Foods, 

Buckwheat    -         -        -        -  75-80 

VII.  Oats,  Barley  ....  81-89 

VIII.  Potato,  Sweet  Potato,  Rice  -  91-97 

IX.  Peas,  Beans,  Lentils,  Asparagus, 
Tapioca,  Sago, Cabbage,  Cauli- 
flower, Beets,  etc.  -         -         -  99-110 
X.  Tomato,  Lettuce,  Celery,  Greens 
Onions, Pumpkins,  Radish,  Rhu- 


barb,  Cucumbers,  Melons    - 

111-123 

XI. 

Sugar 

125-128 

XII. 

Vegetable  vs.  Animal  Foods     - 

129-135 

Xlll. 

Animal  Foods,  Milk,  Cream,  Butter 

Butter-milk,  Cheese,  Milk  Food 

137-150 

XIV. 

Meat,  Beef,  Viscera,  Mutton,  Veal 

151-160 

XV. 

Pork,  Fowl,  Fish,  Shell  Fish,  Egg, 

Fat 

161-173 

XVII. 

Fruit,  Apple,  Peach,  Pear,  Quince, 

Grape 

175-190 

KVIII. 

Plum,  Cherry,    Berries,    Banana, 
Lemon,    Orange,    Date,     Figs, 

Cocoanut,  Nut  Foods 

191-206 

XIX. 

Condiments,  Drinks     - 

207-223 

XX. 

Infant  Feeding          .... 

225-243 

XXI. 

Diet  in  Puberty 

245-256 

CONTENTS. 

XXII.  Dietetic  Errors  and  Dietaries    -  -     257-275 

XXIII.  Composition  of  Foods  -        -  -        277-286 

XXIV.  diosyncrasies  and  Idiosyncrasia  -     281-298 
XXV.  Causes  and  Significance  of  Pain  -         299-305 

XXVI.  Feeding  the  Sick  and  Diet  in  Acute 

Diseases      .....     30''-314 
XXVil.  Causes  of  Indigestion    -        -        .        315-334 
XXVIII.  Diseases  of  the  Stomach  -        -        -     335-355 
XXiX.  Diseases  of  the  Intestines,  Pancreas 

and  Liver  ....  357-373 
XXX.  Chronic  Diseases,  Kidney,  Diabetes 
Tuberculosis,  Heart,  Blood  Ves- 
sels, Rickets,  Anaemia,  Asth- 
ma, Leanness,  Obesity,  Head- 
ache     375-375 

XXXI.  Acute  Diseases,  Cold,  Malaria,  Scar- 
let Fever,  Diphtheria,  Hemorrh- 
age, Measles,  Pneumonia,  Skin 
diseases.  Yellow  Fever,  Blood 
Poisoning,  Whooping  Cough, 
Scrofula,  Pleurisy,  Erysipelas, 
Apoplexy,  Mumps,  Lockjaw,  Ty- 
phoid Fever,  Influenza  -  -  397-414 
XXXll.  Accidents  and  Emergencies      -        -     415-422 


CHAPTER  I. 

AFFLICTIONS  AND  PREMATURE  DEATH  RESULT  FROM 
IGNORANCE. 

Each  age  has  its  philanthropists,  those  who  toil  not 
merely  for  their  own  aggrandizement,  but  for  the  better- 
ing, the  uplifting  of  the  human  race.  These  make  the 
world  better  for  having  lived  in  it.  Such  ought  to  be  the 
desire  of  every  person,  and  while  it  is  sad  to  say  that  it  is 
not  the  fact,  this  is  truly  an  age  in  which  proportionately 
more  people  are  interested  in  the  welfare  of  the  race  than 
at  any  period  in  the  history  of  the  world.  It  ought  there- 
fore to  naturally  follow,  that  the  world  should  now  be 
making  greater  strides  towards  ideal  conditions  than  ever 
before.  Perhaps  we  are  doing  this;  but  it  is  a  matter 
which  many  well  informed  people  would  gravely  question. 
No  doubt  but  that  all  will  agree,  that  no  movement  has 
ever  been  inaugurated  for  the  elevation  of  man,  which 
shows  results  commensurate  with  the  effort  expended. 
Why  is  this.?  There  can  be  but  one  answer;  it  is  because 
all  efforts  of  every  kind  and  character  have  been  directed 
toward  relieving,  curing  or  reforming  the  individual; 
whereas,  had  all  the  efforts  of  even  ten  generations  been 
directed  toward  preventing  evil  and  disease  we  would  now 
have  an  ideal  race;  but  this  would  require  a  volume  of  it- 
self, whereas  the  object  sought,  is  to  call  attention  to,  and 
emphasize  the  fact  that,  it  is  ignorance  of  the  laws 
governing  our  physical  existence,  creation,  birth, 
and  living,  that  makes  reform  movements  necessary — 
movements  which  seek  merely  to  overcome  results  of 
forces  without  dealing  with  their  causes.  This  would  be 
denied  by  nearly  every  man  or  woman  engaged  in  trying 
to  reform  the  world. 


2  INTRODUCTORY 

To  illustrate;  there  are  three  ways  of  dealing  with 
drunkenness: 

(1)  Drugs  or  dipsomania  cures. 

(2)  Moral  influences,  signing  the  pledge,  etc. 

(3)  Prohibition — restraint  by  law. 

Now  the  advocates  of  each  of  these  methods  claim 
that  they  deal  with  the  causes  of  drunkenness,  and  yet 
men  will  not  stay  cured,  nor  keep  the  pledge,  neither  will 
they  regard  the  law,  and  it  is  a  lamentable  fact  that  the 
army  of  drunkards  is  being  constantly  recruited  from  the 
families  of  the  most  zealous  temperance  advocates  of  the 
country.  Something  is  wrong;  for  neither  drugs,  moral 
suasion  nor  law,  have  succeeded  in  arresting  drunkeness, 
because  the  diet  and  habits  of  the  people  cause  them  to 
transmit  nervous  tendencies  to  each  generation,  and  these, 
are  continually  crying  out  for  stimulation  of  some  kind. 

The  truth  of  the  matter  is  that  most  reformers  have 
ignored  the  fact,  tltat  the  body,  to  a  great  extent,  controls  the 
mind,  and  therefore,  the  conduct.  We  are  animals,  without 
the  governing  instincts  of  brutes,  and  so  limited  in  reason  and 
knowledffe,  as  to  be  unable  to  properly  regulate  our  conduct. 
A  man  born  under  pro'per  conditions,  and  given  correct 
knowledge  of  living,  will  need  neither  moral  suasion  nor 
prohibition  to  keep  him  from  the  liquor  habit,  and  so  far 
as  this  world  is  concerned,  will  not  need  any  reform 
movement,  or  dread  of  future  punishment  to  make  him  a 
good  citizen. 

Some  years  ago,  the  writer  became  profoundly 
interested  in  social  and  economic  questions  and 
the  elevation  of  the  race  through  popular  edcuation, 
especially  on  the  principles  of  living  and  the  proper  rela- 
tion of  the  individual  to  society.  After  studying  every 
phase  of  human  conditions  and  character,  he  became  im- 
bued with  the  belief  that  more  good  could   be  accomplish- 


THE  FIRST  INTERVIEW  3 

ed  by  teaching  the  pet)ple  the  prhiciples  governing  their 
physical  existence  than  could  be  done  in  any  other  way. 
In  order  to  bring  this  knowledge  to  them,  all  sources  o4in- 
formation  have  been  sought,  and  especially  from  those  phy- 
sicians whose  training  and  experience  warrant  them  in 
speaking  with  some  degree  of  assurance.  The  facts  ob- 
tained from  all  sources  are  given  as  one  interview. 

Venturing  forth  in  quest  of  knowledge,  the  book- 
maker sought  the  most  learned  specialists  who  have  made 
a  life  study  of  food  in  its  relation  to  health  and  disease. 
The  first  interview  with  a  distinguished  specialist  in  dis- 
eases of  the  stomach  began  with  the  explanation  that  the 
bookmaker  was  desirous  of  dispelling  some  of  the  dark- 
ness in  which  our  physical  existence  is  enveloped. 
"That,"  replied  the  doctor  "is  a  great  task,  and  worthy 
of  the  best  effort  that  can  be  given  it." 

WHERE  ALL  OUR  ILLS  COME  FROM. 

"Some  people  declare  that  the  masses  cannot  be 
moved  to  a  more  rational  mode  of  living." 

"That  is  worse  than  the  facts  warrant,  for  there  are 
people  who  are  really  anxious  to  learn  more  about  the 
principles  which  govern  their  existence." 

"But  isn't  it  also  true  that  many  people  don't  care  to 
know  anything.?" 

"Yes,  and  it  is  a  strange  thing  that  people  are  will- 
ing to  suffer  pain,  lose  the  time  of  being  sick,  and  then 
have  to  pay  their  money  to  doctors,  when  it  could  all  be 
avoided." 

"If  that  be  true,  what  will  become  of  the  doctors.?" 

"Oh  well,  the  people  could  better  afford  to  pay  the 
doctors  to  keep  them  well  like  the  Chinese  than  have  to 
pay  them  and  be  sick;  but  when  the  people  learn  that 
their  ills  do  not  come  from  God,  or  from  Adam,  or  even 


4  NDIVIDUAL  RESPONSIBILITY 

from  nature,  and  learn  that  they  are  mostly  self  inflicted, 
or  at  farthest,  come  from  their  parents,  they  will  learn 
how  to  dispense  with  both  physic  and  physician." 

•'That's  a  good  deal  to  say." 

"Yes,"  said  the  doctor,  "but  1  do  not  hesitate  to 
say  that  it  is  not  more  than  the  truth." 

"How  could  the  people  be  brought  to  such  a  condi- 
tion? 

"They  must  first  realize  their  individual  responsibil- 
ity." 

"How  can  they  be  brought  to  that?" 

"By  presenting  facts  to  them  in  a  clear  and  forcible 
manner,  which  we  will  do.  Now  suppose  1  say,  that 
practically  every  person  commits  suicide,  and  that  a  great 
many  also  commit  manslaughter." 

"If  you  did  I  should  say  that  you  were  either  jesting 
or  crazy." 

"But  it  is  a  fact,  which  I  will  prove.  Let  me  ask 
you  what  would  happen  if  you  were  to  drive  recklessly 
through  the  streets  and  in  doing  so  run  over  several  peo- 
ple and  maim  or  kill  them?" 

"I  would  be  arrested  for  manslaughter." 

"Yes,  and  it  would  make  no  difference,  except  in  the 
degree  of  punishment,  whether  you  did  it  wilfully  or 
negligently,  you  would  be  liable  both  civilly  and  crimi- 
nally for  injuring  or  killing  another  in  such  a  manner. 
Now  suppose  your  family  had  typhoid  fever,  and  you 
should  throw  out  some  excrement  and  poison  the  well  or 
stream  from  which  your  neighbor  is  supplied  and  sickness 
or  death  results,  (which  has  occurred  thousands  of  times) 
would  it  not  be  just  as  bad  as  to  negligently  kill  him  by 
an  infectious  disease,  as  to  kill  him  by  negligently  running 
over  him?" 


RbSULTS  OF  NEGLIGENCE  5 

*'Yes,  I  suppose  it  would,  only  the  proof  more  diffi- 
cult." 

"But  that  does  not  alter  the  fact,  iior  atone  for  the 
criminality  of  negligently  spreading  infectious  diseases 
and  death,  which  is  continually  being  done,  but  this  is 
not  worse  than  other  life  destroying  negligence  which  is 
even  more  appalling  in  effect." 

"I  can  not  deny  your  facts  nor  your  conclusions,  for 
they  are  overwhelming." 

"Let  me  give  you  another  illustration.  A  friend  of 
mine  was  called  to  see  a  child  four  years  old  who  had  a 
serious  intestinal  disorder.  The  child  was  soon  convales- 
cent, and  the  doctor  said  his  visits  need  not  continue,  but 
at  the  same  time  cautioned  the  parents  to  be  exceedingly 
careful  about  the  child's  diet  for  'two  or  three  weeks.'  " 

"What  happened?" 

"Well,  the  day  after  the  doctor's  last  visit  the  family 
had  saurkrout  for  dinner  and  allowed  the  child  to  eat 
all  it  wanted  under  the  belief  that  it  would  not  hurt  it." 

"And  that  probably  killed  it," 

"Yes,  it  was  taken  ill  at  once  and  the  doctor  called, 
but  when  he  found  what  it  had  eaten,  and  the  condition 
the  child  was  in.  he  bluntly  told  its  parents  that  they 
had  killed  their  child." 

"That  was  certainly  a  most  distressing  thing  for  the 
parents." 

"So  it  was,  but  not  worse  than  occurs  in  nearly 
every  family,  although  it  may  not  be  quite  so  immediate- 
ly apparent." 

"I  suppose  they  excuse  themselves  on  the  ground 
that  they  did  not  know  any  better.?" 

"Very  \\ke\y,  but  that  is  a  poor  excuse,  for  the  know- 
ledge could  hive  been  obtained.  This  suggests  the  ques- 
tion* Is  a  person  who  is  so  careless   and   indifferent   to 


6  SUICIDE— DURATION  OF  LIFE 

things  pertaining  to  life  and  health,  that  he  .kills  some  one 
less  culpable  than  one  who  negligently  takes  life  in  some 
other  way?" 

"Doctor  you  put  things  so  strongly,  1  think  you 
could  almost  arouse  the  dead, and  yet  every  word  you 
have  said  is  true." 

"But  what  I  have  said  only  relates  to  the  injury  in- 
flicted on  others,  and  bad  as  it  may  seem,  self-destruction 
is  far  more  common  and  its  effects  almost  endless.'^ 

"You  don't  say!  What  are  you  trying  to  make  me 
believe  we  are?" 

"Oh,  don't  get  excited,  for  I  want  to  bring  out  an- 
other point  by  asking  you  a  question." 
"What  is  it?" 

"How  would  you  define  suicide?" 
"Well  if  one  wilfully  destroys  his  life,   by  making  it 
shorter  than  nature  intended,  that  would  be  suicide." 
*"lt  would  make  no  difference  whether  the  method 
was  quick  or  slow,  would  it?" 

"No,  if  it  did  it  would  be  making  a  distinction  with- 
out a  difference." 

"Now  I  suppose  that  everyone  will  admit  that  the 
moral  law  is  higher  than  the  law  of  the  state,  and  if  it 
recognizes  negligence  that  injures  another,  the  same  as  if 
wilfully  done,  the  moral  responsibility  must  be  equally 
great.  Here  is  another  thing;  it  must  be  true,  that  each 
individual  exists  for  a  purpose,  and  if  so  who  can  measure 
the  wrong  of  thwarting  nature,  by  cuttim?  off  the  natur- 
al term  of  life?" 

"Doctor,  you  have  proven  that  self-destruction  is 
universal,  and  now  you  have  gone  farther  and  proven 
that  it  is  practically  suicide." 

"Yes;  wrongs  are  great  or  small  in  proportion  to 
their  effect,  and  it  is  difficult  to  see  wherein  an  untimely 


INCONSISTENCY  OF  HUMAN  CONDUCT  7 

death  from  one  cause,  that  could  have  been  avoided,  is 
not  as  bad  as  from  any  other. 

If  the  laws  of  our  being  were  not  so  grossly  violated 
one  hundred  years  would  be  an  average  duration  of  life, 
and  a  hundred  and  fifty  years  not  uncommon.  The  or- 
dinary diseases  of  life  should  be  wholly  unknown,  and 
though  it  may  shock  our  slumbering  senses,  the  facts  make 
it  necessary  to  say,  that  we  take  our  own  lives  and  are 
none  the  less  culpable,  because  we  do  it  ignorantly — the 
ignorance  of  negligence  and  careless  indifference." 

"That  is  good  reasoning,  and  it  is  very  strange  that 
no  one  has  ever  written  of  it  before." 

"Yes  it  is,  and  the  quotation  from  Shakespeare's  Mid- 
Summer  Night's  Dream:  'what  fools  these  mortals  be' 
might  be  aptly  applied.  Just  think,  a  young  man  will 
spend  six  or  eight  years  in  a  unive^'sity  studying  every- 
thing in  the  heavens  and  on  earth  except  how  to  live, 
and  if  he  doesn't  kill  himself  before  he  finishes  a  course 
at  college,  he  frequently  does  so  in  a  few  years  after- 
wards. Here  is  another  curious  fact,  a  mother  will  sac- 
rifice her  life  for  the  welfare  of  her  child,  but  before  it 
was  born,  she  did  not  think  it  worth  while  to  endow  such 
vigor  and  character  on  her  babe  as  to  make  it  fit  to  live, 
and  though  she  may  love  her  infant  babe  far  beyond  any 
feeling  that  could  be  suggested  by  words,  the  chances  are 
one  to  five  that  she  will  kill  it  before  it  is  a  year  old  by  im- 
proper feeding .  ' ' 

"Then  you  are  a  believer  in  the  scriptural  text  that 
the  iniquity  of  parents  shall  be  visited  unto  the  third 
and  fourth  generations." 

"Yes,  in  a  measure  that  is  true,  but  not  absolutely; 
that  is,  not  all  iniquities  are  transmitted.  Nature  con- 
stantly strives  to  correct  the  mistakes  which  injure. 
Were  it  otherwise,  the  weaknesses  and  vices  continually 


8  LACK  OF  KNOWLEDGE 

taken  up  by  each  generation  would  soon  extinguish  the 
race,  if  none  were  cut  off." 

"What  is  the  chief  factor  in  producing  the  physical 
and  moral  imperfections  of  the  race,  doctor?" 

"Well,  part  of  our  present  social  evils  are  no  doubt 
due  to  false  economic  conditions,  but  if  every  individual 
was  born  right  and  properly  educated  even  these  would 
disappear." 

"But  as  things  now  exist  there  must  be  other  great 
factors  besides  economic  ones  that  affect  the  individual." 

"Yes,  many  things  affect  his  existence,  such  as  ex- 
ercise, ventilation,  sanitation,  clothing,  and  each  are  so 
important,  that  thousands  of  lives  are  annually  sacrificed 
because  the  natural  laws  of  which  they  are  a  part,  are 
J  violated;  but  while  these  affect  many,  the  most  important 
/thing  of  all  is  food;  it  affects  the  whole  world." 

"Since  you  speak  of  it,  1  realize  the  force  of  what  you 
say,  for  I  asked  a  teacher  about  the  quantity  and  proper 
proportions  of  the  ordinary  foods  that  would  be  required 
for  health  and  vigor  and  he  couldn't  tell.  He  said  the 
physiologies  and  books  of  hygiene  only  gave  a  little  gen- 
eral knowledge,  with  very  little  practical  information." 

"I  am  not  surprised  that  a  teacher  couldn't,"  said 
the  doctor,  "a  great  many  physicians  could  not  do  it,  for 
they  are  not  employed  to  keep  people  well,  but  to  drug 
them  when  they  are  sick,  and  so  long  as  people  prefer  to 
pay  for  taking  medicine,  the  doctors  are  powerless  and 
unable  to  do  anything  better,  however  much  they  might 
desire  it;  but  the  doctor  of  the  future  will  be  employed 
mainly  to  prevent  disease." 

"Doctor,  since  you  have  said  what  you  have,  the 
question  occurs  to  me,  how  do  people  live  at  all?" 

"By  mere  accident  or  chance.  They  eat  what  they 
want,  that  is,  what  their  appetite  craves,  or  what  may  be 


RIGHT  LIVING  EASY  9 

offered  them,  no  matter  whether  it  suits  their  require- 
ments or  not.  If  it  makes  them  suddenly  sick,  there  is 
not  much  danger,  but  if  their  food  is  wrong  for  a  number 
of  years,  and  if  its  evil  effects  are  not  quick  in  mani- 
festing themselves,  the  doctor  will  finally  have  a  much 
more  serious  case  to  cure,  if  indeed  a  cure  is  not  beyond 
his  power." 

"Then,  if  1  understand  you,  the  people  live  almost 
universally  in  a  haphazard  way  and  if  they  get  sick, 
rely  on  nostrums  and  doctors  to  cure  them." 

"Exactly  so." 

"How  do  you  account  for  it?" 

"It  is  partly  due  to  the  fact  that  people  believe 
that  proper  living  is  galling;  that  all  the  pleasures  of  life 
would  be  cut  off  if  they  had  to  live  by  rule;  but  prob- 
ably a  far  greater  number  are  under  the  impression 
that  their  work  the  weather,  or  natural  causes,  produce 
their  ills,  when  in  fact  they  are  self-inflicted." 

"Well,  1  have  heard  these  reasons  so  continuously 
that  I  almost  come  to  pity  those  people  who  are  always 
saying  that  something  or  other  in  their  lives,  either  their 
work,  the  weather,  or  some  accidental  circumstance  made 
them  ill  and  wretched." 

"Is  there  nothing  in  this.?" 

"Not  much.  Most  persons  can  eat  almost  any  food  in 
proper  quantity  at  a  proper  time  if  properly  prepared,  and 
as  to  weather  and  work  killing  people,  who  live  in  accord 
with  natural  law,  such  would  be  as  hard  to  find  as  a 
dishonest  alderman"  said  the  doctor,  with  a  somewhat 
significant  twinkle  in  his  eye,  then  continuing,  "it  is  no 
harder  to  live  properly  than  it  is  to  speak  or  write  gram- 
matically; one  doesn't  have  to  think  of  all  the  inflections 
of  every  part  of  speech  in  writing,  for  correct  use  of  lan- 
guage comes  by  knowledge  and  practice,  and  good  usage 


10  USE  OF  KNOWLEDGE 

is  only  difficult  to  the  illiterate.  Just  so  as  to  living.  If 
you  really  understand  foods  and  their  relation  to  life,  it  is 
easy  to  be  well." 

"But  people  often  say  that  they  don't  live  up  to 
what  they  already  know,  and  what  is  the  use  of  learning 
more?" 

"People  who  say  that  it  is  no  use  to  learn  because 
they  do  not  live  up  to  their  l<nowledge  are  unconscious  of 
their  own  ignorance.  It  is  true  that  no  one  applies  all  he 
knows  to  each  act  of  his  life,  and  this  fact  is  illustrated  in 
our  daily  conversation,  for  however  well  educated,  few 
persons  speak  correctly  at  all  times;  but  would  any  one 
say,  that  because  of  this  being  a  fact  that  it  is  useless  for 
one  to  get  an  education? 

"Nobody  but  an  idiot  would  say  so." 

"Here  is  another  fact,  few  live  up  to  their  moral  en- 
lightenment, but  according  to  the  reason  urged  for  not 
learning  more  about  our  bodily  existence,  all  the  efforts 
put  forth  to  christianize  and  enlighten  the  world  are  useless. 
We  might  go  still  farther  and  say,  that  but  few  people  do 
business  as  systematically  as  they  know  how;  is  a  busi- 
ness education,  therefore,  of  no  use?" 

"Doctor  that  is  well  put,  and  emphasizes  the  impor- 
tance of  training." 

"Yes,  knowledge  is  the  main  spring  of  action  and  the 
people  who  will  not  be  controlled  are  those  who  are  suffer- 
ing from  some  defect  the  result  of  their  own  or  others' 
violation  of  physical  laws." 

"Then  you  think  people  who  have  right  knowledge 
of  living  will  not  go  far  wrong,  if  they  are  not  already 
badly  warped  by  somebody's  transgression?" 

"They  will  not,  for  it  is  absolutely  certain  that  un- 
der no  circumstance  will  the  people  go  as  far  in  their  vio- 
lation of  what  they  know  will  injure  them,   even  though 


EFFECTS   OF   IGNORANCE  11 

their  iiiclinations  lead  them  r.gainst  their  knowledge,  as 
they  would  certainly  do,  if  they  were  entirely  ignorant  of 
the  effects  of  such  imprudence." 

"Then  knowledge  is  useful  to  recover  from  errors  in 
living?" 

"Yes,  when  we  are  ignorant  we  not  only  injure  our- 
selves, but  not  knowing  the  cause  of  the  injury,  we  are 
likely  to  continue  until  we  are  beyond  any  remedy. 
No  language  can  safficietitlij  empltasize  the  fact,  that  there 
is  nothing  of  so  much  value  to  us,  as  knowing  how  to  live,  and 
to  know  how  and  what  to  eat  conies  first. 

"Are  we  to'  understand  that  all  the  ailments  of  life 
come  from  improper  food?" 

"No,  not  all  of  them,  but  most  of  them  do.  Some 
come  from  hereditary  tendencies,  some  are  thrust  upon 
us,  such  as  infectious  diseases,  but  if  people  were  to  eat 
the  right  kind  of  food  in  proper  quantity,  and  properly 
prepared,  sickness  v^ould  scarcely  be  known  at  all." 

"Has  physical  weakness  much  to  do  with  our  career 
as  individuals?" 

"Yes,  everything;  it  retards  moral  and  intellectual 
development,  causes  a  craving  for  stimulants,  drives 
people  to  crime,  makes  labor  a  burden  when  it  should  be 
a  pleasure,  causes  life  to  be  partially  or  wholly  a  failure, 
and  frequently  makes  the  individual  a  burden  to  society 
instead  of  a  blessing.  All  of  which  are  forcibly  illustra- 
ted by  our  penal  institutions,  alms  houses  and  asylums." 

"There  is  no  doubt,  doctor,  but  what  the  people  need 
enlightenment  upon  the  subject. of  proper  living  more  than 
any  other?" 

"Yes,  unless  it  be  the  question  of  heredity  and  pre- 
natal influences,  but  as  you  want  to  deal  with  questions 
for  immediate  results  there  is  no  field  which  could  possi- 
bly offer  you  a  greater  opportunity  for  labor." 


12  EFFECTS  OF   IGNORANCE 

"What  would  you  suggest  as  a  proper  scope  for  a 
book  that  would,  in  your  opinion,  be  of  most  benefit  to 
the  people?" 

"The  qualities  and  properties  of  everything  used  as 
food  should  be  given,  and  the  best  methods  of  preparing 
each  food  product.  It  would  also  be  well  to  point  out  the 
-deficiency,  if  any,  of  each  food  and  what  would  be  suit- 
able uiivl^r  different  conditions  to  make  a  complete  diet. 
It  would  be  advisable  to  mention  those  foods  that  have 
particular  value  as  remedial  agents,  and  suitable  diet  in 
all  diseases." 

"Whom  should  we  urge  to  study  a  book  of  this 
kind?" 

"1  suppose  most  people  would  say  that  those  who  are 
ill  need  it  most,  and  while  it  is  urgent  for  them,  the  great- 
est good  can  be  done  by  interesting  those  who  are  as  yet 
too  young  to  have  suffered  irreparable  ill  from  bad  exam- 
ple. As  this  is  beyond  question  the  most  important  of  all  edu- 
cation it  shoidd  be  taken  up  and  taught  in  our  public  schools 
as  the  most  essential  branch  of  the  school  course." 

"Then  you  don't  regard  school  physiologies  as  of 
much  practical  benefit?" 

"As  to  that,  it  certainly  isn't  objectionable  to  study 
physiology  and  hygiene,  but  the  only  trouble  is  that 
much  of  it  has  no  direct  bearing  on  living,  and  too  many 
suppose  they  are  well  informed  when  they  have  not  learn- 
ed any  more  about  living  than  they  would  have  done  about 
house  building,  by  simpjy  examining  a  house  and  finding 
thatitwasmadeof  brick,  mortar,  stone,  wood  and  metal," 

"That  will  shock  some  of  the  teachers." 

"I  hope  not,  for  1  was  a  teacher  myself  and  studied 
and  taught  from  the  school  physiologies,  but  what  1  did 
not  know  would  have  filled  a  large  book.     Too  much  at- 


EFFECTS  OF  IGNORANCE  13 

tention  connot  be  given  to  this  because  experience  teaches 
that  those  who  are  now  healthy  are  graduallt/  perha])s  imper- 
ceptibly breaking  their  natural  viyor,  so  that  with  tliem  it  is 
only  a  question  of  time  before  they  will  have  the  common 
ailments  with  which  everyone  is  familiar.  If  these  can 
be  reached  they  can  be  saved  much  distress,  while  those 
who  are  diseased  and  broken  might  not  be  worth  but  lit- 
tle after  you  have  taken  away  all  the  causes  which  afflict 
them.  It  is  a  good  plan  to  help  all  the  people  you  can^ 
but  do  not  devote  all  your  energy  towards  working  over 
spoiled  material." 

"Then  you  think  it  better  to  save  the  coming  and 
future  generations." 

"Yes  I  would  seek  them  but  let  the  others  seek  me.' 


CHAPTER  11. 

DIGESTIVE    ORGANS, 

AND  THE  PROCESSES  OF  DIGESTION. 

"Doctor,  in  beginning  tlie  study  of  any  subject,  it  is 
of  course  very  important  to  start  right." 

••That  is  true,  and  if  we  are  to  understand  the  source 
of  health  as  well  as  disease,  we  must  know  something 
about  the  digestive  organs  and  how  they  work  to  keep 
us  well,  and  under  what  circumstances  they  will  not,  or 
can  not  work,  and  thus  allow  us  to  get  sick." 

••A  great  many  people  don't  understand  what  is 
meant  by  digestion." 

"Digestion  is  the  process  by  which  the  various  particles 
of  food  we  eat  are  dissolved  and  changed  by  the  digestive 
secretions  and  processes  into  suitable  elements  for  the 
various  uses  of  the  body." 

"Are  the  particles  taken  into  and  absorbed  by  the 
system  made  very  fine?" 

"Yes,  the  particles  that  are  absorbed  are  so  fme  that 
they  must  be  magnified  several  hundred  times  before 
they  can  be  seen  by  the  naked  eye." 

"This  is  very  interesting,  Doctor,  where  does  the 
process  begin?" 

"It  commences  where  a  great  many  kinds  of  trouble 
begin." 

"That  must  be  in  the  mouth?" 

"Yes,  in  the  mouth  and  in  the  kitchen,  and  unfor- 
tunately, most  people  in  this,  as  in  other  things,  use  their 
mouths  and  kitchens  much  but  not  well." 

"What  do  you  mean  by  that?" 


FUNCTIONS  OF  SALIVA  15 

"That  they  talk  without  thinking,  eat  without  chew- 
ing, cook  without  knowing  how,  and  eat  more  than  they 
eat  properly." 

"That  IS  because  they  don't  know  how  to  do  any 
better?" 

"That's  a  charitable  view  and  no  doubt  true  in 
part." 

''At  any  rate  one  is  astonished,  at  how  little  people 
know  about  living  and  that  is  true  even  of  the  educated 
classes." 

"Yes  it  is,  A  good  many  people  would  dispense 
with  their  mouths  for  eating  if  they  could,  and  shovel 
their  food  into  their  stomachs  just  as  they  would  load  a 
wagon  with  hay.  When  they  get  sick,  they  charge  it 
to  anything  or  everything  except  their  own  folly." 

"Then  the  great  fault  is  in  eatnig  too  fast.-"' 

"Well,  as  already  stated,  digestion  is  first  of  all  a 
process  of  dissolving,  and  a  good  many  people  treat  their 
stomachs  as  though  they  had  better  teeth  in  them  than  in 
their  mouths.  It  is  time  for  people  to  learn  that  they  on- 
ly have  one  set  of  teeth,  and  that  if  they  continually  im- 
pose on  their  stomachs,  by  compelling  them  to  do  the 
work  that  should  be  done  by  the  teeth,  sooner  or  later, 
their  stomachs  will  get  stubborn  and  not  work  at  all." 

"Yes,  Doctor,  but  you  forget,  don't  you,  that  many 
kinds  of  food  are  ground  before  they  reach  the  mouth?" 

"That  would  seem  to  be  a  good  point,  but  somehow 
the  creator  of  man  did  not  anticipate  mills,  and  conse- 
quently, arranged  an  important  process  of  digestion  in 
connection  with  the  uses  of  the  teeth,  which  cannot  be 
avoided  without  positive  injury." 

"Then  there  is  no  safe  way  of  cheating  the  teeth 
out  of  their  grinding  business?' 

"None  whatever." 


16  MOUTH  DIGESTION 

"What  is  the  important  process  that  you  have  just 
mentioned?" 

"No  doubt,  you  have  noticed  that  when  you  chew 
anything,  your  mouth  is  soon  filled  with  a  slippery  ropy 
fluid,  usually  known  as  saliva." 

"Yes,  where  does  it  come  from?" 

"It  is  a  secretion  that  comes  from  glands  within  and 
adjoining  the  mouth  each  of  which  has  a  tube  draining 
into  the  mouth." 

"Have  these  glands  names." 

"Yes,  the  principal  ones  are  known  as  parotid,  sub- 
maxillary and  sublingual  glands,  and  there  are  small 
glands  scattered  through  the  lining  membranes  of  the 
mouth  and  tongue.  These  are  called  buccal  (mucous 
and  serous)  glands." 

"Do  they  all  secrete  the  same  kind  of  fluid?" 

"Well,  it  is  all  a  digestive  agent,  though  the  charac- 
ter of  the  secretion  of  each  is  different?" 

What  are  the  various  uses  or  saliva?" 

"It  was  formerly  supposed  that  the  saliva  had  no 
other  use  than  to  moisten  the  food,  and  no  doubt  every 
one  has  noticed  that  as  soon  as  they  commence  to  chew 
anything,  the  saliva  commences  to  flow;  for  that  reason, 
it  appeared  that  the  saliva  was  only  intended  to  make  the 
food  soft  so  it  could  be  swallowed  easily,  but  with  the  aid 
of  modern  chemistry,  we  have  learned  that  saliva  is  a 
digestive  agent,  which  must  be  mixed  with  the  food  dur- 
ing the  grinding  of  the  same  by  the  teeth." 

"What  is  the  nature  of  the  secretion?" 

"It  is  an  alkaline  solvent  that  dissolves  that  part  of 
the  food  known  as  starch,  gum,  pectose  and  similar  sub 
stances." 

"In  what  is  an  alkali  different  from  an  acid?" 


FUNCTIONS  OF  SALIVA  17 

"Probably,  the  nearest  we  could  describe  it  would 
be  to  say  that  it  is  the  opposite  of  acid.  If  we  mix  them 
in  proper  proportions,  according  to  the  strength  of  each, 
both  will  become  inert." 

"Then  digestion  of  all  foods  containing  starch  be- 
gins in  the  mouth?" 

"It  begins  there  if  the  saliva  be  mixed  with  the  food 
but  the  fact  that  so  many  people  swallow  their  food  with- 
out chewing  it,  especially  all  soft  foods,  such  as  warm 
bread,  mashed  potatoes,  pudding,  oatmeal  and  all  similar 
foods,  there  is  not  ordinariiy  sufficient  saliva  added  to 
digest  any  quantity  worthy  of  notice." 

"Then  the  old  saw,  'who  eats  slowly  lives  long' 
must  be  true." 

"It  is." 

"Has  the  saliva  any  effect  on  foods  other  than 
the  starches?" 

"Not  as  a  digestive  agent,  but  it  aids  in  keeping  the 
particles  of  food  that  are  crushed  by  the  teeth  from  ad- 
hering together." 

"How  much  saliva  is  ordinarily  secreted  in  a  day?" 

"Those  who  have  carefully  estimated  it,  say  that 
eight  to  ten  ounces  are  daily  secreted." 

"That  would  hardly  include  tobacco  and  gum  chew- 
ers,  would  it?' 

"No,  chewing  tobacco  is  a  perverted  use,  and  tobac- 
co chewers  have  saliva  with  which  to  bathe  a  consid- 
erable portion  of  the  earth  but  very  little  for  their  food." 

"Of  what  temperature  does  the  saliva  act  on 
starch?" 

"At  103°  to  112°  F.  It  does  not  act  below  85°  F. 
0  any  extent,  nor  over  168°  F." 

"Then  moderate  temperature  is  an  important  thing 
n  digestion?" 


18  FOUL  MOUTHS 

"Yes,  this  explains  part  of  the  ill  effects  of  ices  and 
very  hot  drinks." 

"What  is  the  other  part?" 

"Direct  damage  to  the  mucous  membrane." 

"Is  there  anything  else  about  the  mouth  that  aids 
digestion.?" 

"Nothing  that  aids  it,  but  something  that  doesn't  aid 
it." 

"What  is  that?" 

"Filth.  Some  people  keep  their  mouths  like  garbage 
boxes.  They  allow  all  kinds  of  food  to  lodge  and  decay 
until  it  even  rots  their  teeth,  rnd  then  they  have  a  mouth 
tainted  with  decaying  food  and  decomposing  bones, 
which  is  a  harbor  for  the  various  kinds  of  bacteria." 

"What  harm  does  this  do?" 

"When  food  is  eaten,  these  foul  accumulations  and 
bacteria  are  carried  to  the  stomach,  and  no  doubt  are 
often  great  factors  in  disturbing  the  stomach  and  general 
system,  and  one  of  the  sights  calculated  to  make  one  pity 
the  human  race  is  to  see  persons  cut  holes  in  their 
flesh  to  make  themselves  beautiful  with  jewelry  and  yet 
carry  a  mouth  and  teeth  coated  with  putrid  matter  so 
offensive  in  odor  that  it  is  disagreeable  to  be  near  them." 

"What  becomes  of  food  when  it  leaves  the  mouth?" 

"It  passes  down  a  tube  called  the  oesophagus  (gul- 
let) into  the  stomach." 

"Do  people  understand  how  their  stomachs  are  con- 
structed?" 

"No,  a  great  many  people  suppose  their  stomachs 
are  copper  lined,  or  at  least  their  habits  lead  one  to  that 
conclusion." 

"Why  do  you  say  that?" 

"Because  they  have  no  regard  for  their  stomachs 
and  give  themselves  no  concern  as  to  the  character  or 
quantity  of  what  they  put  in  them." 


STRUCTURE  OF  STOMACH  19 

"In  what  particular?" 

•'It  is  not  an  uncommon  thing  to  see  people  eat  soup 
scalding  hot  and  then  drink  ice  water  to  cool  it.  Others 
make  a  catch  basin  of  their  stomachs  and  pour  in  several 
gallons  of  beer  or  large  quantities  of  stronger  liquors." 

"There  are  but  few  who  do  not  use  mustard,  pep- 
per,horseradish  and  other  intense  irritants,while  those  who 
are  continually  taking  poisonous  drugs  are  legion.  This  is 
not  all,  the  stomach  is  not  supposed  to  rebel  no  matter 
how  coarse  or  tough  the  food,  nor  how  incompatible  the 
mixtures  that  ignorance  pours  into  it,  and  as  a  result  of 
all  this,  if  the  aches,  pains,  diseases,  misery  and  deaths 
could  be  measured  by  volume  they  v/ould  make  a  pyra- 
mid from  the  earth  to  Jupiter." 

"Suppose  you  tell  us  something  about  the  stomach, 
doctor.?" 

"I  can  do  that  best  by  first  showing  you  a  photo- 
graph of  it.  (See  page  20  for  illustration.)  It  is  gen- 
erally described  as  an  irregular  shaped  sack  or 
pouch,  and  will  hold  in  normal  condition  from  two  up  to 
three  and  a  half  pints,  although  in  one  case  the  stomach 
of  a  grown  person  was  known  to  hold  only  a  half  pint. 
Abnormal  size  is  very  common,  because  the  majority  of 
the  people  use  their  stomachs  as  a  receptacle  for  the  most 
outlandish  collection  of  indigestible  material  which  a  pam- 
pered civilization  can  supply.  This  stretches  them  so  that 
they  are  made  to  retain  several  gallons  of  liquid  and  food  un- 
der which  the  system  groans  with  the  weight  of  its  torture. 
The  modern  stomach  exposed  to  view  looks  much  like  a 
fourth  of  July  balloon.  The  inside  of  the  stomach  is  lined 
with  mucous  membrane,  very  similar  to  that  of  the 
mouth.  This  is  arranged  in  many  folds  running  length- 
wise. If  the  membrane  be  examined  by  a  microscope, 
innumerable  pits  are  seen.  These  pits  indicate  the  pres- 
ence of  gastric  glands," 


^i  /. 


A,  stomach.  B,  pyloric  end  of  stomach.  C,  liver  turned 
up  to  expose  stomach.  D,  large  intestine.  E,  rec- 
tum.    F,  annus. 


EXPERIMENTS  IN  DIGESTION  21 

**Do  the  gastric  glands  perform  an  important  part  in 
digestion?" 

"They  do,  for  they  secrete  what  is  commonly 
known  as  gastric  juice." 

*'Are  there  other  glands  in  the  stomach?" 

"Yes,  mucous-forming  cells  that  secrete  mucus." 

"Is  the  gastric  juice  anything  like  saliva?" 

"Not  in  the  least,  for  the  gastric  juice  is  acid  and  the 
saliva  alkaline." 

"Then  it  is  the  acid  that  dissolves  the  food?" 

"That  depends  upon  the  kind  of  food  you  mean. 
Properly  speaking,  it  is  not  the  acid  alone,  but  the  secre- 
tion of  acid  and  a  substance  called  pepsin,  acting  togeth- 
er, that  dissolves  tissue  forming  foods,  but  not  starch. 
There  is  another  substance  in  the  gastric  juice  called  ren- 
net.    This  is  also  called  a  milk-curdling  ferment." 

"How  did  they  ever  find  out  anything  about  what 
was  in  the  stomach,  and  what  goes  on  in  the  process  of 
digestion?" 

"Well,  not  much  was  known  prior  to  1822." 

"What  was  discovered  at  that  time?" 

"That  was  the  time  when  a  man  by  t|ie  name  of 
Alexis  Saint  Martin  had  his  stomach  accidently  torn  open 
by  the  discharge  of  a  musket." 

"What  was  the  wound  like?" 

"The  front  part  of  the  sixth  rib  was  blown  away, 
the  lung  and  diaphragm  torn;  but  after  a  long  convales- 
ence  he  recovered  except  that  there  was  a  large  fistulous 
oper^ing  into  the  stomach.  This  at  first  had  to  be  ban- 
daged, but  after  a  time  a  portion  of  the  mucous  mem- 
brane of  the  stomach  prolapsed  until  it  hung  down  over 
the  opening,  thus  acting  as  a  sort  of  a  curtain  to  the 
stomach." 

"That  was  remarkable." 


22  EXPERIMENTS   IN  DIGESTION 

"Yes,  it  furnished  Dr„  Beaumont  who  treated  Saint 
Martin,  a  practical  method  of  observing  the  process  of 
digestion. 

"Who  was  Dr.  Beaumont?" 
"A  surgeon  in  the  service  of  the  United  States." 
"How  did  he  describe  the  digestive  process?" 
"Dr.  Beaumont,  in  writing  of  his  observation  on  the 
stomach  of  Saint  Martin,  states  that  when  food  first 
enters  the  stomach  the  movements  of  the  stomach  are 
feeble  and  light,  but  as  digestion  goes  on,  they  become 
more  and  more  vigorous,  until  the  action  of  the  stomach 
thoroughly  churns  -the  contents  within  it.  The  food 
travels  from  the  upper  opening  along  the  lower  or  greater 
curvature,  to  the  pylorus,  (the  end  where  the  food  is  dis- 
charged into  the  intestines)  returns  by  the  upper  or 
lesser  curvature,  while  at  the  same  time  the  movements 
of  the  stomach  turn  its  contents  inward  so  that  every 
particle  of  food  in  the  stomach  comes  in  contact  with  the 
freshly  secreted  gastric  juice.  As  digestion  proceeds, 
the  contents  of  the  stomach  becomes  more  and  more  acid, 
and  the  contracting  force  of  the  stomach  becomes  greater, 
so  that  it  constantly  throws  its  contents  inward  from  its 
own  walls  as  well  as  downward  towards  the  opening 
mtothe  small  intestines." 

"When  does  the  contents  of  the  stomach  pass  out?" 
"Under  normal  conditions,  some  of  it  passes  out,  or 
rather  is  ejected,  as  soon  as  it  becomes  sufficiently  liquefied. 
Just  what  governs  the  expulsion  of  the  food  from  the 
stomach  is  rather  difficult  to  determine;  it  is  not  merely 
the  fact  of  its  becoming  a  liquid,  as  water,  no  matter 
what  its  temperature,  remains  in  the  stomach  several 
minutes  and  is  then  discharged  into  the  intestines,  where 
absorption  takes  place.  It  also  frequently  happens  that 
solrd  food  is  not  dissolved  at  all  in  the  stomach,   and    if 


WHEN   FOOD   LEAVES  THE   STOMACH  23, 

the  irritation  is  not  great  enough  to  cause  vomiting,  it 
passes  into  the  intestines,  but  just  at  what  time  or  con- 
dition, has  not  been  determined.  It  appears  that  under 
some  conditions,  solids  readily  pass  out  of  the  stomach, 
while  in  others  liquids  remain  a  long  time,  so  that  the 
discharge  of  food  from  the  stomach  is  not  entirely  a  ques- 
tion of  liquefaction,  (i.  e.,  becoming  a  watery  liquid.) 
The  ordmary  length  of  time  which  water  remains  in  the 
stomach  when  there  is  litttle  or  no  food  in  it,  is  about  15 
minutes,  but  it  may  remain  hours,  when  the  activity  of 
the  stomach  walls  is  impaired." 

"Does  the  stomach  always  empty  itself.-"' 

"It  should,  but  sometimes  it  must  be  vomited  to  do 
so.  Food  has  been  known  to  remain  in  the  stomach 
several  days  and  then  be  vomited." 

"Of  what  use  is  this  knowledge,  doctor?" 

"Well,  I  only  wanted  to  explain  that  part  of  one 
meal  may  remain  in  the  stomach  undigested  until  it  is 
time  to  eat  another.  ' 

"What  will  then  happen.?" 

"After  several  hours,  if  the  food  is  not  digested,  de- 
cay will  set  in,  and  when  one  rneal  disagrees  it  may  not 
be  noticeable,  but  the  decaying  portion  remaining  in  the 
stomach  will  almost  certainly  destroy  the  digestion  of  the 
next  one;  whereas,  hud  the  stomach  been  empty,  diges- 
tion would  readily  have  taken  place.  This  is  the  reason 
why  it  is  more  or  less  difficult  to  tell  what  agrees  and 
what  disagrees  with  us,  because  the  undigested  meal 
may  not  be  noticeable  until  another  meal  is  added,  or  not 
at  all  until  symptoms  of  sickness  occur." 

"Doctor,  you  stated  that  the  stomach  did  sometimes 
permit  undissolved  food  to  pass  out  into  the  intestines, 
does  any  harm  come  from  it.-*" 


14  CHEMICAL  PROCESS  OF  DIGESTION 

"Yes,  great  harm,  and  such  ailments  as  cramps, 
coHc,  diarrhoea  and  catarrh  of  the  gall  bladder,  causing 
gall  stones,  are  common  results  from  coarse  substances 
passing  through  the  stomach  into  the  bowels." 

'•Has  there  been  any  extensive  investigation  made 
about  digestion  since  that  of  Dr.  Beaumont.?" 

"Yes,  investigations  have  been  going  on  almost  con- 
stantly ever  since,  and  have  been  much  aided  by  what 
we  might  properly  term  Modern  Chemistry.  A  German 
physiologist  in  1831,  discovered  that  saliva  digests 
starch,  i.  e.,  turns  it  into  grape  sugar,  sometimes  termed 
maltose.  Since  then,  repeated  experiments  have  been 
made  upon  man  and  animals.  Thousands  of  tests  have 
been  made  by  siphoning  the  gastric  juice  and  partly  di- 
gested food  from  the  stomach,  and  also  almost  every 
conceivable  test  has  been  made  on  dogs  and  other 
animals," 

"Doctor,  you  say  saliva  is  alkaline  while  the  gastric 
juice  is  acid.  A  while  ago  you  stated  that  these  were 
antagonistic  and  that  the  alkali  neutralized  the  acid.  Now. 
how  can  digestion  be  carried  on  by  two  elements  directly 
opposite  to  each  other,  one  neutralizing  or  destroying  the 
effect  of  the  other?" 

"That  is  a  good  question,  and  a  right  understanding 
of  the  answer  would  clear  up  many  of  the  doubts  and 
difficulties  concerning  food,  or  rather  our  diet.  In  the 
first  place,  it  would  be  well  to  remember  that  the  saliva 
makes  its  appearance  in  the  mouth;  that  it  has  great 
effect  on  the  digestion  o'f  starch,  or  starchy  food;  that  it 
should  be  mixed  with  the  starchy  foods  as  thoroughly  as 
possible.  Then,  when  the  food  reaches  the  stomach,  the 
gastric  juice  only  begins  to  flow.  It  will  thus  be  seen 
that  there  is  considerable  time  for  the  digestion  of  the 
starch  before  any  quantity  of  gastric  juice  has  been  se- 


chkmical  process  of  digestion  25 

creted  in  the  stomach,  or  to  put  it  another  way,  the  starch 
digestion  begins  in  the  mouth  and  continues  after  reaching 
the  stomach  until  the  stomach  has  secreted  a  sufficient 
quantity  of  the  acid  gastric  juice  to  counteract  the  effect 
of  the  alkahne  saliva  which  the  food  received  in  the 
mouth.  Ordinarily,  it  would  require  from  15  minutes  to 
a  half  hour  for  the  stomach  to  become  sufficiently  acid  to 
neutralize  the  amount  of  saliva  that  ought  to  be  mixed 
with  the  food  during  its  mastication  before  it  reaches  the 
stomach.  As  the  stomach  gradually  becomes  more  and 
more  acid,  the  starch  digestion  gradually  lessens  until  it 
entirely  ceases.  Then  the  action  of  the  stomach  walls 
becomes  quite  intense,  and  gastric  digestion  properly 
begins." 

"What  do  you  mean  by  gastric  digestion?" 
•  i  have  tried  to  make  it  plain  that  the  saliva  has  no 
solvent  action  upon  proteid  or  tissue  forming  foods.     It  is 
this  class  of  foods  that  are  dissolved  or  at  least  should  be, 
in  the  stomach,  by  the  secretions  therein." 

"What  class  of  food  do  you  call  starches.-*" 
"Generally  speaking,  all  the  vegetables  with  the 
possible  exception  of  peas  and  beans,  are  essentially 
starch,  and  even  peas  and  beans  contain  a  per  cent  of 
that  substance.  The  foods  acted  upon  in  the  stomach 
are  lean  meats  of  every  kind,  eggs,  milk,  cheese,  fish, 
and  the  vegetable  casein  in  peas  and  beans  and  the  gluten 
found  in  wheat  and  in  other  cereals." 

"Is  digestion  completed  in  the  stomach.?" 
"Not  by  any  means.     By  far  the  most  important 
part  takes  place  below  the  stomach — in  the  small  intes- 
tines." 

"Then,  according  to  the  statement  you  make,   the 
stomach  is  not  of  much  use,  and  knowing  something  of 


26  REMOVAL  OF  STOMACHS   FROM  DOGS 

the  trouble  and  pain  it  gives  it  looks  as  though  we  were 
constructed  on  immature  plans." 

"Not  at  all.  The  stomach  has  its  use  and  a  most 
important  one,  although  Czerney  in  1876,  at  Heidelburg, 
Germany,  removed  the  entire  stomach  of  two  dogs.  No 
mention  is  made  as  to  the  effect  on  one  of  the  dogs,  but 
the  other  lived  from  1876  to  1882,  when  he  was  killed  for 
the  purpose  of  making  an  examination  as  to  his  condition. 
At  the  time  his  stomach  was  removed,  the  dog  weighed 
5,850  grams  (22  lbs.),  a  month  after  he  weighed  consid- 
erably less,  but  during  the  year  his  weight  increased  to 
7,000  grams  (29  lbs.)" 

"Has  any  person  ever  lived  with  the  stomach  re- 
moved?" 

"There  is  no  such  case  on  record,  although  the 
pyloric  end  of  the  stomach,  (i.  e.  the  end  on  right  side) 
has  been  cut  out  and  the  intestines  sewed  to  the  stomach. 
Such  operations  have  seldom  been  successful,  but  it  is 
probably  due  to  the  fact  that  they  have  never  been  made 
until  the  patient  was  almost  dead  of  some  malignant  dis- 
ease, such  as  cancer  or  ulcer." 

"You  have  made  no  mention.  Doctor,  of  fats.  What 
action  has  the  gastric  juice  or  saliva  on  them?" 

"Until  within  a  few  years  it  was  supposed  that  the 
gastric  juice  had  no  effect  whatever  upon  the  fats,  but 
modern  investigation  has  changed  that  view  somewhat, 
and  it  is  now  understood  that  the  gastric  juice  is  capable 
of  breaking  down  or  disintegrating  fat  cells  thereby  set- 
ting the  fat  particles  or  globules  free.  This,  no  doubt,  is 
a  great  aid  to  intestinal  digestion.  It  is  also  believed  that 
the  fat  is  to  some  extent  changed  into  fatty  acids  and 
glycerine  by  the  gastric  juice." 

"Has  the  gastric  juice  any  other  action?" 


EFFECTS  OF  GASTRIC  JUICE  ON   FATS  27 

■'It  converts  cane  sugar  into  grape  sugar,  thus  pre- 
paring it  for  absorption  into  the  system." 

"Is  there  anything  besides  starch  that  is  not  greatly 
acted  upon  by  the  gastric  juice?" 

"Yes,  cellulose." 

"Where  is  it  digested?" 

"It  is  digested  somewhere  in  the  apparatus  of  the 
lower  animals,  but  nowhere  in  man;  in  fact,  it  keeps 
starch  from  digesting,  because  starch  is  encased  in  small 
cellulose  cells,  and  unless  the  cells  are  ruptured  by  cook- 
ing or  by  mastication,  starchy  cereals  and  vegetables  are 
almost  wholly  indigestible." 

"How  long  does  food  ordinarily  remain  in  the  stom- 
ach?" 

"From  one  to  four  hours,  frequently  longer." 

"What  are  the  modifying  conditions?" 

"Much  depends  on  the  kind  of  food,  upon  the  cook- 
ing, and  the  mixture  of  different  kinds  of  foods." 

"Doctor,  that  is  not  plain  to  me,  will  you  give  ex- 
amples?" 

"Well,  meat  and  tough  vegetables,  like  peas  and 
beans,  require  longer  time  for  digestion  than  something 
that  is  easily  dissolved,  like  the  white  of  an  egg.  Then 
as  to  cooking,  the  longer  meats  are  cooked,  especially  if 
roasted  or  fried,  the  harder  and  more  insoluble  they  be- 
come, as  heat  coagulates,  that  is,  makes  the  albumen  in 
meat  more  solid." 

"Is  there  anything  else  that  makes  meat  difficult  o. 
digestion?" 

"Yes,  being  saturated  with  fat,  because  the  gastnc 
juice  of  the  stomach  has  only  a  limited  effect  on  fat,  and 
if  eggs  or  lean  meat  be  fried  or  saturated  with  It,  the  par- 
ticles might  aptly  be  termed  encased,  and  could  onlv  be 
acted  on  to  a  limrted  extent,   if  at  all,  by   the   digestive 


2b  CONDITIONS   RETARDING   DIGESTION 

agents  of  the  stomach.  This  is  the  reason  why  fried 
lean  meat  is  so  hard  to  digest." 

"Is  this  all  that  determines  the  period  of  digestion?" 

"No,  there  are  many  other  things.  The  fineness  of 
the  particles  of  food  has  much  to  do  with  it,  and  it  will 
not  require  any  labor  to  demonstrate  that  a  particle,  say 
the  size  of  a  pea  or  bean  would  not  be  so  quickly  dis- 
solved, if  it  be  dissolved  at  all,  as  a  particle  as  small  as 
very  fine  flour,  so  that  the  length  of  time  food  should  re- 
quire for  digestion  depends  much  upon  how  finely  it  is 
masticated  or  artificially  divided,  and  this  applies  equally 
to  both  meats  and  starches.  Another  factor  is  the  amount 
of  acid  in  the  stomach." 

"How  does  that  affect  the  duration  of  digestion?" 

"Well,  some  persons  secrete  very  little  acid,  and 
are  almost  wholly  unable  to  digest  meats;  others  have 
such  strong  acid  secretions  that  they  digest  meats  very 
quickly,  but  that  very  fact  might  in  a  measure  prevent 
starchy  foods  from  being  dissolved  by  the  saliva,  so  that 
the  kind  of  food  and  the  amount  of  acid  in  the  stomach 
are  both  elements  affecting  the  period  of  digestion." 

"Is  this  all,  doctor?" 

"No;  perhaps  one  of  the  most  important  of  all  is  the 
demand  of  the  system  for  food." 

"How  does  this  affect  digestion?" 

"Well,  if  the  system  has  previously  been  supplied 
with  more  food  than  it  can  use,  nature  has  some  way  of 
protecting  herself  by  not  adding  to  the  burden  already 
carried.  Of  course,  if  the  intestmes  are  loaded  with 
matter  and  their  action  slow,  the  food  would  not  be 
quickly  drawn  downward.  It  is  believed  that  when  the 
system  is  clogged  or  there  is  an  excessive  accumulation 
of  matter  in  the  bowels,  that  the  stomach  must  neces- 
sarily be  in  sympathy,  and  it  sometimes   happens   that 


T1A\E  REQUIRED  FOR  DIFFERENT  FOODS  29 

roods  remaining  too  long  in  the  stomach  and  decaying 
there  is  the  first  symptom  pointing  to  the  fact  that  the  di- 
gestive organs  have  been  overloaded  and  that  there  is  no 
demand  for  food." 

"Some  people  say  that  the  amount  of  drinks  or  fluid 
tai<en  into  the  stomach  lias  much  to  do  with  the  duration 
of  digestion." 

"That  is  true.  If  the  digestive  juices  are  greatly  diluted 
they  must  necessarily  be  much  less  active  than  if  they 
have  their  full  strength." 

"What  about  the  temperature  of  the  fluids  taken  into 
the  stomach.?" 

"It  also  influences  digestion,  from  the  fact  that  the 
temperature  of  the  stomach  must  be  maintained  at  about 
the  normal  heat  of  the  body,  If  cold  drinks  be  poured 
into  the  stomach,  as  a  matter  of  course,  digestion  will  be 
delayed  until  the  stomach  can  be  re-warmed." 

"Do  individual  peculiarities  have  much  to  do  with  the 
time  required  for  digestion  of  food.?" 

"Yes,  some  people  have  very  active  stomachs  but  yet 
have  inherited  some  antagonistic  tendency  to  certain  foods" 

"1  have  often  heard  people  say  that  when  people  are 
in  serious  trouble  that  they  were  likely  to  suffer  from  in- 
digestion, why  is  this.?" 

"Well,  anything  which  affects  the  nervous  system  and 
in  that  way  disturbs  circulation,  will  affect  digestion." 

''What  is  the  theory  of  this.  Doctor.?" 

"It  is  because  the  stomach  requires  a  large  supply  of 
blood,  and  if  the  blood  from  any  cause  is  in  excess  in 
other  organs  the  supply  of  the  stomach  will  necessarily 
be  diminished.  Great  mental  excitement  keeps  the  flow 
of  blood  to  the  head  instead  of  the  stomach,  and  the  same 
may   be  said  of  every  vigorous  exercise.     There   is   still 


30  STRUCTURE  OF  INTESTINES 

another  cause  for  the  various  periods  required  for  digest- 
ing the  different  foods,  that  is,  their  chemical  effect  on 
each  other.  To  illustrate,  tea  contains  a  large  amount  of 
tanic  acid.  If  strong  tea  should  be  drunk  after  eating  the 
white  of  eggs,  the  tanic  acid  of  the  tea  would  precipitate 
the  albumen  of  the  eggs  and  make  it  entirely  indigestible. 
This  is  about  the  same  process  as  that  of  tanning  leather" 

"Then  you  don't  attach  much  importance  to  statements 
that  certain  articles  of  food  are  digestible  in  a  certain 
time?" 

"No,  although  something  like  an  ordinary  average 
might  be  estimated,  for  instance,  well-done  meat  should 
ordinarily  be  digested  in  four  or  five  hours,  or  six  at  the 
most,  although  sometimes  it  is  never  digested.  Meat 
properly  cooked  should  be  digested  in  about  3  hours,  and 
experiments  with  raw  meat  show  that  under  fair  con- 
ditions, it  will  be  digested  in  2^  hours." 

''Then  according  to  that,  cooking  meat  makes  it  more 
indigestible?" 

"As  a  general  rule,  it  does,  and  as  it  is  ordinarily  cook- 
ed, it  makes  it  much  more  so.  The  same  may  be  said  of 
eggs.  Raw  eggs  could  be  digested  in  about  two  hours; 
hard  fried  eggs,  if  at  all,  in  four  to  six  hours." 

"How  about  vegetables?" 

"Peas  and  beans  being  very  tough  require  three  to 
four  hours.     Ordinary  bread,  if  good,  about  2A  hours." 

"Do  liquids  require  much  time  for  digestion?" 

"Water  or  fats  and  oils  taken  on  an  empty  stomach 
would  not  ordinarily  remain  in  the  stomach  but  a  few 
minutes." 

"How  about  milk?" 

"Milk  is  taken  as  a  liquid  but  it  becomes  a  semi-solid  in 
the   stomach,   and   requires   one-half   to   two   hours   for 


PANCREAS,    BILE  31 

digestion.  Of  course,  as  already  explained,  these  esti- 
mates are  only  mere  outlines  which  are  varied  by  many 
circumstances." 

"When  digestion  begins,  does  the  food  leave  the  stom- 
ach as  fast  as  digested?" 

"No,  although  at  intervals  small  amounts  of  dissolved 
food  are  ejected  from  the  stomach,* but  the  greater  portion 
of  it  remains  in  the  stomach  until  digestion  has  been  suf- 
ficiently completed  to  allow  the  food  to  pass  into  the  in 
testines." 

"Then  according  to  your  explanation,  the  stomach  is  a 
sort  of  a  reservoir,  in  which  the  food  is  prepared  for  fur- 
ther changes  in  the  intestines." 

"Yes,  it  might  be  called  something  of  adissolving  vat." 

"Why  is  this.?" 

"Well,  the  intestines  are  much  more  susceptible  to  for- 
eign substances  than  the  stomach." 

"1  don't  understand  what  you  mean.?" 

"1  will  explain;  the  stomach  is  an  organ  of  considerable 
size,  while  the  intestines  have  smaller  diameter  and 
greater  length." 

"About  how  long.?" 

'  The  small  intestines  about  20  feet  or  more,  the  large 
intestines  about  5  feet.  Where  the  intestines  join  the 
stomach  is  called  pylorus.  Where  it  joins  the  large  in- 
testines, ileo-caecal  valve." 

"What  is  their  general  structure  like.?"  * 

"It  is  a  small  tube  containing  muscular  layers  running 
lengthwise  and  also  around  the  intestines.  The  blood 
vessels  and  glands  are  very  numerous.  The  inside  of 
the  intestine  being  lined  with  a  mucous  membrane  similar 
to  that  of  the  stomach,  but  in  the  stomach  the  folds  run 
lengthwise  while  in  the  intestines  they  are  crosswise." 


32  GLANDS  IN    INTESTINES 

"What  is  the  principal  agent  of  intestinal  digestion?" 
"Pancreatic  juice,  which  is  secreted  by  the  pancreas." 

"Then  according  to  that,  the  pancreas  is  the  most  im- 
portant of  the  digestive  organs?" 

"Well,  the  digestive  organs  act  as  a  unit,  each  being 
essential,  although  the  pancreas  furnishes  the  most  indis- 
pensable part  of  the  digestive  fluids,  because  digestion 
can  go  on  in  the  intestines  if  the  food  be  fine  enough, 
even  though  there  be  no  preparation  made  in  the  stom- 
ach, or  by  the  mouth. 

"What  kind  of  an  organ  is  the  pancreas?" 

"It  is  a  long,  narrow  gland  of  reddish  cream  color,  but 
of  course  the  color  varies  according  to  circumstances." 

"Where  is  it  located?" 

"It  lies  behind  the  stomach  in  the  rear  wall  of  the 
abdomen." 

"In  what  way  is  it  connected  with  other  organs?" 

"It  has  two  tubes  or  ducts,  emptying  into  the  intestines 
three  or  four  inches  below  the  lower  end  of  the  stomach." 

"Doctor,  you  haven't  explained  the  general  character 
of  the  pancreatic  juice?" 

"It  is  an  alkaline  fluid  containing  many  chemical  ele- 
ments." 

"How  do  these  elements  act  in  furthering  the  processes 
of  digestion." 

"The  pancreatic  juice  has  three  distinct  properties.  It 
dissolves  all  preteid  foods,  such  as  meat  and  eggs, 
also  has  a  very  active  solvent,  which  quickly  digests 
starch  and  it  has  still  another  element  which  splits  up  or 
decomposes  the  fats,  splitting  them  up  into  extremely 
small  particles  making  a  creamy  substance  closely  re- 
sembling soap." 


ACTION  OF   INTESTINES  3A 

"IS  there  any  other  digestive  agent  Ix'siJes  what  you 
have  already  mentioned?" 

"Yes,  there  are  others.  The  one  most  universally 
known  but  probably  the  least  important,  is  bile." 

"I  have  often  heard  people  speak  of  having  bile  on  the 
stomach,  is  this  true?" 

"Not  ordinarily  at  least,  the  bile  duct  from  the  liver  or 
gall  bladder  empties  into  the  intestines  several  inches  be- 
low the  stomach,  and  it  is  only  when  the  proceedings  ol 
nature  are  reversed  as  in  cases  of  extreme  vomiting,  that 
the  bile  is  brought  up  through  the  stomach." 

"Of  what  use  is  bile  in  digestion?" 

"The  uses  of  the  bile  are  still  a  subject  of  more  or  less 
dispute,  although.it  is  generally  understood  that  the  bile 
is  a  very  important  factor,  in  connection  with  the  pan- 
creatic juice,  in  preparing  fats  for  absorption.  A  number 
of  experiments  have  been  made  upon  the  digestion  of  an- 
imals without  bile,  and  it  was  found  that  a  large  per  cent 
of  the  fats  were  not  absorbed.  This  is  said  to  be  true  al- 
so in  jaundice  where  the  flow  of  bile  is  obstructed  or  in 
some  way  deficient." 

"Has  it  any  other  uses?" 

"Being  strongly  alkaline,  it  arrests  the  action  of  the 
stomach  juices  and  aids  in  preparing  the  food  as  it  comes 
from  the  stomach  for  pancreatic  digestion;  this  being  an 
entirely  different  process  from  that  carried  on  in  the 
stomach.  Bile  will  dissolve  small  quantities  of  fats, 
and  has  long  been  used  to  remove  grease  stains  from  del- 
icately colored  fabrics,  but  its  action  alone  without  the 
pancreatic  juice  is  not  very  marked." 

"What  other  uses  has  the  bile?" 

"It  is  claimed  that  it  will  to  a  certain  extent  prevent 
abnormal   fermentations  or  decay  of  the  food   in   the    in- 


34  ABSORPTION,  APPETITE  AS  A  GUIDE 

testines  and  there  is  no  doubt  but  what  bile  acts  as  a 
laxative  in  the  bowels.  It  also  acts  as  an  antidote  to 
poison  known  as  nicotine  which  is  one  of  the  active  prin- 
ciples of  tobacco.  Numerous  experimenis  have  demon- 
strated the  fact  that  it  is  about  the  only  known  substance 
which  increases  the  flow  of  bile,  although  various  drugs  in 
a  measure  accomplish  the  same  result  by  setting  up  an 
activity   of  the  bowels;  these  are  known  as   cathartics." 

"Is  there  any  other  secretions  found  in  the  intestines 
that  affect  digestion?" 

"There  are  numerous  small  glands  throughout  the  in- 
testinal canal.  These  secrete  an  alkaline  fluid  but  so  far 
as  has  yet  been  determined  they  have  no  other  use  ex- 
cept to  convert  starches  into  sugar  and  perhaps  aid  in 
keeping  the  contents  of  the  intestines  from  becoming  ex- 
cessively acid  through  fermentative  processes." 

"I  don't  see  what  is  to  be  gained  aoout  all  this  talk 
about  what  goes  in  the  intestines?" 

"Then  you  don't  care  to  know  how  to  keep  alive. 
That  is  why  a  good  many  people  don't  live,  they  merely 
exist,  at  least  they  must  have  constant  assistance  from 
their  doctor." 

"Then,  what  is  to  be  learned  by  this?" 

"First,  that  there  is  a  limit  to  the  size  of  the  himps — 
the  coarseness  of  the  food  that  can  be  properly  disposed 
of  by  the  stomach." 

"Suppose  this  is  violated,  what  is  the  effect?" 

"Very  likely  cramps  or  inflammation  which  will  prob- 
ably cause  serious  injury  and  even  death.  The  second 
thing  to  be  taken  notice  of  is  that  25  feet  of  intestines  re- 
quire something  to  incite  their  action;  i.  e.,  waste  matter 
sufficient  to  give  them  som.ething  to  do." 


ABSORPTION,  APPETITE  AS  A  GUIDE  35 

"Suppose  the  diet  does  not  furnish  the  necessary  waste 
what  will  be  the  result?" 

"It  would  seem  from  the  construction  of  the  intestines 
having  folds  almost  their  entire  length,  that  it  would  be  dift'i- 
cult  to  get  anything  through  them.  Can  you  explain  how 
this  is  accomplished?" 

"By  activity — peristaltic  movement." 

"What  is  that?" 

"The  peristaltic  movement  of  the  intestines  is  a  wave- 
like movement  similar  to  that  of  a  caterpillar  in  motion." 

"I  perceive  if  there  be  so  much  movement  there  must 
be  freedom?" 

"Now  you  have  struck  a  great  point.  Tight  waist 
bands  and  tight  corsets  hinder  peristaltic  action  of  the 
intestines,  and  the  man  or  woman  who  reduces  the  size 
of  a  natural  waist  (which  a  very  large  per  cent  of  women 
do)  deserves  to  be  called  an  artist  with  more  vanity  than 
sense." 

"Does  any  digestion  take  place  in  the  large  intestines?" 

"Not  in  the  sense  that  it  does  in  the  small  ones.  The 
processes  of  the  large  intestines  are  those  of  decay  and  it 
is  believed  that  particles  of  food  that  have  not  previously 
been  acted  upon  are  to  some  extent  dissolved  by  the  ac- 
tion of  bacteria,  a  fermentative  process." 

"How  is  the  digested  food  taken  up  by  the   system?" 

"The  entire  length  of  the  intestines  contain  little 
tongue-like  projections  called  villi,  which  are  attached  to 
the  folds  of  the  mucous  membrane.  These  take  up  tlie 
digested  particles  by  a  process  called  osmosis  or  absorp- 
tion from  without,  and  they  are  carried  into  the  circula- 
tion." 

"Do they  immediately  become  blood?" 

"Som.e  portion  of  the  food   so   absorbed   immediately 


36  FREQUENCY    OF  MEALS 

enters  into  circulation  as  part  of  the  blood,  while  other 
parts  enter  either  the  lymphatics  or  lymph  glands  or  portal 
vein,  and  carried  to  the  liver  and  probably  modified  to  some 
extent  by  that  organ  from  which  it  is  taken  upas  needed." 

•'Doctor,  will  you  kindly  sum  up  the  important  things 
to  remember  about  digestion." 

"First,  food  must  be  properly  prepared;  second,  it  must 
be  thoroughly  masticated,  ground  tine  and  thoroughly  mix- 
ed with  saliva,  especially  if  it  contain  starch;  third,  no  fresh 
food  should  be  taken  into  the  stomach  during  the  period  of 
digestion;  fourth,  food  should  be  properly  proportioned,  con- 
taining the  different  elf ments  required  for  the  purpose  of 
sustaining  life." 

"Doctor,  you  have  not  mentioned  how  often  one  should 
eat.?" 

"That  is  somewhat  a  matter  of  habit.  The  savage 
tribes  eat  when  they  are  hungry  or  when  they  can  get 
food." 

"Would  you  advise  people  to  be  guided  by  their  appe- 
tites.?" 

"Not  by  any  means,  it  is  better  to  have  fixed  habits, 
although  if  there  be  cause  for  hunger  and  need  for  food, 
this  feeling  should  be  gratified  within  reasonable   limits." 

"What  do  you  mean  by  cause  for  hunger?" 

"Hunger  may  be  either  normal  or  abnormal,  that  is,  it 
may  come  because  one  eats  but  little  food,  and  takes  a 
large  amount  of  exercise,  while  abnormal  hunger,  which 
is  even  a  more  intense  craving  for  food,  results  from  dis- 
ease, or  excessive  stimulants  such  as  condiments  or  al- 
cohol." 

"How  can  one  tell  whether  the  appetite  is  normal  or 
abnormal.?" 

"By  amount  of  food  eaten  and  amount  of  exercise  taken." 


FREQUENCY  OF  MEALS  37 

"How  often  then  should  one  eat?" 

''That  is  diificult  to  say,  for  it  depends  on  habit,  abil- 
ity to  digest  food  and  the  activity  of  the  person." 

♦•Then  a  uniform  practice  of  eating  three  times  a  day 
is  not  always  best." 

"No,  many  persons  would  remain  in  better  health 
when  eating  four  or  five  times  daily,  but  ordinarily  three 
meals  a  day  are  sufficient,  and  some  even  claim  that  two 
meals  agree  better  than  three.  This  is  especially  true  of 
brain  workers.  The  two  meals  should  be  at  the  begin- 
ning and  end  of  the  day." 

"What  class  of  persons  should  eat  more  than  three 
times  a  day.''" 

"Persons  of  very  weak  digestion  as  convalescents  from 
acute  diseases,  or   people   who  are  very  fat." 

"Won't  this  have  the  tendency  to  make  them  take  too 
much  food.?" 

"On  the  contrary,  the  inclination  is  to  take  much  less. 
Weak  stomachs  need  food  in  very  small  quantities,  and 
eating  often  satisfies  the  appetite." 

"Can  you  give  general  rules.?" 

"Yes,  no  one  in  active  labor  should  go  longer  than  six 
hours  without  food." 

"You  say  appetite  should  be  considered,  in  what  way?" 

"In  this  way,  if  you  were  to  eat  a  very  light  breakfast 
at  six  or  seven  o'clock  in  the  morning  and  have  active 
exercise,  it  would  not  be  unnatural  to  be  hungry  at  10, 
and  it  would  then  be  better  to  eat  something  than  to  wait 
until  12 for  the  regular  meal." 

"I  have  always  heard  that  it  is  bad  practice  to  eat  be- 
tween meals,  now  you  advise  that  under  some  circum- 
stances it  be  done." 


38  REGULATION  OF  MEALS 

"The  objection  to  eating  between  meals  is  not  well 
understood.  What  is  meant  by  the  general  outcry 
against  it,  is  that  no  food  ought  to  be  taken  into  the  stom- 
ach while  what  has  been  previously  eaten  is  in  process 
of  digestion." 

"O,  I  see,  eating  between  meals  if  the  stomach  is  not 
empty,  is  after  all  a  bad  practice?" 

"Yes,  it  is  very  bad,  for  it  keeps  food  in  the  stomach 
too  long  and  very  likely  causes  it  to  decay,  because  part 
of  the  amount  previously  eaten  will  probably  be  retained 
until  the  fresh  food  has  been  added.  This  necessitates  the 
retention  of  the  previous  meal  until  the  second  is  digested, 
and  therefore  causes  increased  delay.  The  practice  can- 
not be  too  strongly  condemned," 

"Doctor,  I  am  still  confused.  You  say  that  a  light 
breakfast  at  six  or  seven  and  active  exercise  might  make 
it  proper  to  take  food  at  ten,  what  would  you  do  about 
the  regular  meal  if  it  came  at  12?" 

'  This  is  a  matter  which  requires  judgement.  In  such 
a  case,  a  ten  o'clock  lunch  should  consist  of  some  fruit 
that  is  easily  dissolved,  like  a  baked  apple.  If  good  fruit 
cannot  be  had,  then  a  little  milk,  sugar,  or  even  bread  in 
small  quantities." 

"Then  the  habit  of  eating  meat, pickles  and  beer  lunch 
is  objectionable?" 

"Extremely  so;  no  liquor  (if  it  is  to  be  drunk  at  all) 
should  be  taken  on  an  empty  stomach,  but  to  do  so  and 
to  eat  pickles  and  salads  besides,  is  a  species  of  folly  so 
great  that  it  is  difficult  to  understand  how  a  rational  per- 
son can  do  it." 

"What  should  be  the  principal  meal  of  the  day?" 

"Well,  for  most  people  the  principal  meal  should  be  in 
the  middle  of  the  day,  although  breakfast  may  be  a  heavy 


REGULATION   OF  MEALS,  SLEEP,  TOBACCO  39 

meal,  if  not  convenient  to  eat  anything  but  a  lunch  in  the 
middle  of  the  day.  The  evening  meal  should  always  be 
the  lightest,  because  the  system  is  most  relaxed  and  the 
least  capable  of  digestion." 

"How  about  eating  at  bed-time?" 

"If  there  has  been  active  exercise  and  the  hour  for  re- 
tiring late,  a  little  food  may  be  beneficial.  To  persons 
who  have  an  inclination  to  insomnia  (sleeplessness,)  a 
little  food  will  often  be  conducive  to  sleep  and  there  is 
nothing  we  could  more  strongly  recommend  than  Horlick's 
Malted  Milk." 

"Why  does  it  make  one  sleep?" 

"Taking  a  little  food  at  bed-time  has  a  tendency  to 
draw  the  circulation  from  the  head  to  the  stomach,  and 
whenever  the  excessive  flow  of  blood  to  the  head  is  di- 
verted, then  sleeplessness  will  be  supplanted  by  restful 
sleep." 

"I  have  always  understood  that  eating  food  just  before 
retiring  had  a  tendency  to  keep  one  from  sleeping  at  all?" 

"There  is  some  truth  in  this — depends  upon  the  quan- 
tity and  kind  of  food.  A  hearty  meal  always  has  a  ten- 
dency to  make  one  go  to  sleep,  but  if  the  meal  is  of  such 
a  character  that  it  is  a  struggle  to  digest  it,  it  almost  nat- 
urally follows  that  the  circulation  will  be  disturbed 
much  more  than  it  ought  to  be;  hence,  the  weird  dreams 
and  'night  mares'  so  called,  are  common  incidents  to  late 
suppers  of  rich  and  indigestible  food." 

"What  is  the  significance  of  sleepiness  after  meals?" 

"Well,  if  there  be  great  drowsiness  after  meals,  it  indi- 
cates either  weak  digestion  or  nervous  exhaustion." 

"How  does  exercise  aid  digestion?" 

"Exercise  aids  by  increasing  the  circulation  and  in  that 


40  EXERCISE  AND  DIGESTION 

way  clearing  the  system  of  waste,  and  by  burning  up  the 
food,  thus  creating  a  demand  for  a  new  supply." 

"Then  the  more  exercise  the  better?" 

"Not  at  all,  exercise  to  the  extent  of  great  fatigue 
weakens  very  much  and  if  such  be  unavoidable,  it  is 
much  better  to  take  some  rest  before  eating  and  also 
after." 

"Doctor,  1  have  noticed  that  some  people  soon  become 
ill  if  they  do  not  sleep  enough,  why  is  this?" 

"Lack  of  sleep  in  some  way  disturbs  the  nervous  sys- 
tem and  weakens  its  tone.  It  follows  then  that  inasmuch 
as  every  organ  of  the  body  is  controlled  by  the  nervous 
system,  when  it  is  disturbed  every  other  organ  will  most 
likely  be  so." 

"Some  contend  that  the  use  of  tobacco  aids  digestion." 

"If  it  aids  one,  it  hurts  ten  thousand,  for  it  both  de- 
presses the  action  of  the  heart  and  affects  the  nervous 
system,  and  is  therefore  an  unmitigated  evil  and  univer- 
sally injurious  to  all  persons  in  normal  condition,  although 
it  might  be  useful  in  some  cases  as  a  drug." 


"^^ 


CHAPTER  III. 
CLASSIFICATION  OF  FOODS. 

"The  food  we  consume  serves  us  in  two  ways;  first  it 
supplies  material  for  tissue  and  also  for  the  bones;  second, 
it  tu  ni-hes  us  fuel  for  bodily  warmth  and  action." 

"What  foods  are  required  for  these  purposes.?" 

"While  most  writers  divide  foods  into  many  classes, 
practically  there  are  only  two,  that  is,  foods  for  building 
or  repairing  the  body  and  foods  for  furnishing  heat  or 
force." 

"Then  you  would  only  divide  food  into  two  classes." 

"Yes,  foods  for  building  or  repairing  the  body  are  called 
tissue-forming  foods,  they  are  also  known  by  other  names 
which  are  used  to  express  the  same  thing." 

"What  are  the  names?" 

"The  most  common  name  applied  totissue-formingfood 
is  the  term  proteid,  or  protein.  Another  term  almost 
equally  well-known  \f  that  of  nitrogen  or  nitrogenous 
foods.  Stil!  another  known  as  albumens  or  albumenoids. 
These  various  names  are  used  interchangeably  for  the 
same  purpose,  and  the  reader  should  not  be  confused 
thereby." 

"What  foods  belong  to  this  class?" 

"Lean  meat,  eggs,  fish,  milk  and  cheese  are  the  foods 
most  extensively  known  as  tissue  forming  foods,  but  peas, 
beans.  lentils  and  wheat  gluten  have  a  larger  per  cent  of 
tissue-forming  substances  in  proportion  to  their  starch, 
than  is  ordinarily  required  for  the  human  system.  Properly 
speaking,  they  should  be  classed  with  tissue  formers." 

"What  foods  are  known  as  fat  or  heat  producers?" 


42  CLASSIFICATION  OF  FOOD 

"All  fats  and  oils,  starch,  sugar,  gum,  pectose  and 
waste  material  are  all  termed  force  producers.  The  foods 
belonging  to  the  starchy  class,  including  gums  and  waste 
material  are  usually  termed  carbo-hydrates,  while  the 
fats  are  known  as  hydro-carbons." 

"hi  what   classes  of  food   do   we  find   these   diflVrent 
.    properties?'' 
(.1        "All  the  animal  fats  and  oils,  vegetable    and  fruit  oils, 
I    sugar,  starch  and  vegetables  generally  " 
I        "Are  there  any  foods  that  belong  to  both  classes?" 

"Yes,  many  of  the  foods  in. common  use  belong  to  both 
classes,  that  is,  are  both  tissue  formers  and  force  pro- 
ducers. Milk,  meat  and  eggs,  all  contain  fat,  and  are 
therefore  force  producers  by  reason  of  the  fat  they  con- 
tain, while  the  cereals,  especially  wheat  and  oats,  contain 
nearly  the  proper  proportion  of  tissue  forming  and  heat 
producing  substances.  Ordinarily,  the  animal  foods  are 
called  nitrogenous  and  the  vegetables  non-nitrogenous 
or  heat  producers." 

"1  understand  that  the  system  contains  much  mineral 
matter,  that  the  bones  are  substantially  all  composed  of 
it.    Where  does  the  supply  come  from?" 

"The  largest  element  of  bone  formation  is  lime,  called 
calcium,  while  salt  known  as  chloride  of  sodium,  pot- 
ash known  as  potasium,  magnesia  known  as  ma-^ine- 
sium,  and  sulphur  and  iron  and  traces  of  other  minerals, 
are  found  in  various  farts  of  the  body.  These  various 
mineral  el'  ments  are  usually  known  as  salts,  or  mineral 
matter,  and  exist  in  various  compounds,  generally  known 
as  chloride,  carbonate  and  phosphate  of  sodium;  chloride, 
carbonate,  sulphate  and  phosphate  of  potassium;  carbon- 
ate, sulphate  and  phosphate  of  magnesium;  and  phosphate 
of  calcium." 


MINERAL  SALTS  43 

"Are  there  any  other  uses  for  mineral  salts,  in  the 
body,  except  for  bone  formation?" 

"Yes,  but  it  would  be  rather  difficult  to  explain  them  to 
the  laity." 

"What  is  the  use  tlien  of  all  this  description  then?" 

"Simply  to  show  the  necessity  of  eating  food  that  sup- 
plies these  elements." 

"Then  it  is  a  matter  of  great  importance  after  all." 

"Yes,  many  diseases  result  from  not  knowingthisfact." 

"What  are  some  of  them?" 

"Rickets  in  children,  anaemia,  chlorosis,  excessive 
growth  and  other  ailments." 


CHAPTER  IV. 

WATER  TMu  PRINCiPAL  ELEMENT 
OF    THE  BODY. 

"The  human  system  is  made  up  of  many  chemical  ele- 
ments, the  principal  part  of  which  is  water.  The  sec- 
ond largest  element  is  carbon  and  next  to  it  is  nitrogen, 
while  calcium  is  1  he  largest  element  of  the  mineral  sub 
stances.  Those  of  less  quantity  are  magnesium,  sodium 
iron,  sulphur  and  traces  of  other  metals." 

•'Doctor,  must  our  food  contain  all  the  elements  of  tht- 
.body?" 

"That  is  the  conclusion  from  the  experiments  that  have 
been  made,  although  some  of  the  elements  are  so  small 
no  demonstration  has  ever  been  attempted.  It  is  but 
natural  to  conclude  though,  that  if  water,  carbon  and  ni- 
trogen and  lime  are  indispensable  that  all  the  other  ele- 
ments would  be  so." 

"I  take  it  from  what  you  say  that  water  is  the  most 
important  of  all  foods?" 

"That  is  true.  There  is  nothing  taken  into  the 
system  so  indispensable  as  water,  for  it  constitutes  about 
70  per  ct  of  the  weight  of  the  body, and  as  the  evaporation 
from  the  body  is  large,  and  beinga  vehicle  for  carrying  off 
the  waste  and  poisonous  products  of  the  system,  more 
water  is  required  than  any  other  food,  and  if  it  is  not  fre- 
quently supplied,  the  blood  would  become  too  thick  to 
circulate  and  death  would  result." 

"Doctor,  1  suppose  you  have  seen  the  statement  in  ad- 
vertisements of  liquors  that  water  kills  more  people  than 
whiskey?" 

"Yes,"  said  the  doctor,  "and  strange  as  it  may   seem, 


WATER  45 

there  is  some  probability  that  the  statement   is   true;    at 
least,  it  would  be  a  good  question  for  debate." 

"You  don't  mean  to  say  that  people  drink  too  much 
water,  do  you,  Doctor?" 

"As  a  rule,  they  don't.  More  drink  too  little  than  too 
much.  It  is  not  the  quantity  but  the  quality  that  kills, 
as  the  people  of  Hamburg  learned  in  1893  when  they 
were  scourged  with  the  cholera." 

"Is  there  much  impure  water.?" 

"Much!  Why  don't  you  ask  whether  there  is  any 
pure  water,  for  such  a  question  would  be  more  in  accord 
with  the  facts." 

'What  are  some  of  the  sources  of  polution?" 
"Wells  are  polluted  from  surface  water  by  spilling 
dirty  water  on  its  covering,  by  filtration  from  barnyards, 
privies,  feed  pens  and  street  sewage.  River  and  lake 
waters  by  sewage,  decaying  vegetable  matter,  and  refuse 
of  all  sorts  thrown  into  them,  but  this  belongs  to  sanita- 
tion to  be  treated  in  a  separate  volume  and  we  should 
not  venture  out  too  far." 

"Cannot  the  people  tell  by  seeing  whether  it  is  clear?" 
"No,  the  clear  sparkling  water  may  be  laden  with 
death  dealing  impurities  which  may  be  vegetable  or 
chemical,  and  may  even  have  typhoid  or  cholera  bacteria 
in  it,  but  by  boiling,  it  can  be  made  wholesome  and 
many  impurities  may  be  removed  by  various  methods  of 
filtering." 

"But  people  object  to  boiled  water,  it  tastes  too  vapid?" 
"That  can  be  easily  overcome  by  agitating,  like   mak- 
ing milk  shake  or  lemonade;  in  fact,   the   aeration    these 
drinks  get  by  being  shaken  is  partly   what   makes  them 
so  pleasant." 


46  WATER 

•'Can  you  give  some  suggestion  as  to  how 
much  water  a  person  should  take  in  twenty-four  hours?'' 

"We  take  much  of  our  water  in  what  we  call  our 
solid  foods;  but  unless  we  eat  watery  foods,  like  green 
fruits,  the  smallest  requirements  would  be  at  least  three 
pints  daily,  in  addition  to  what  would  ordinarily  be  con- 
sumed in  the  foods  including  milk,  tea  and  coffee.  Of 
course,  exercise,  temperature  and  the  size  of  the  individ- 
ual would  all  be  varying  circumstances  and  one  would 
drink  a  great  deal  more  water  in  very  hot  weather  than 
in  moderately  cool  or  cold  weather." 

"Do  people  injure  themselves  by  drinking  water?" 

"That  is  putting  it  mildly  to  say  the  least.  Every 
tank  and  pitcher  of  ice  water  ought  to  be  labeled  with 
skull  and  cross  bones." 

"Why  so?" 

"Did  you  ever  snow-ball?  If  you  have,  you  have 
noticed  that  though  your  fingers  would  be  for  a  tima 
nearly  frozen,  after  a  while  they  would  sting  and  burn 
with  heat." 

"Yes,  1  have  noticed  it.  Is  that  the  way  ice  water 
acts?" 

"It  is.  When  the  blood  returns,  that  has  been 
driven  avay  by  the  cold  water,  reaction  takes  place  and  if 
continued,  the  excessive  flow  of  blood  causes  congestion, 
resulting  in  inflammation  and  general  derangement  of  the 
stomach,  usually  known  as  ice  water  catarrh.  It's  a  pro- 
lific source  of  what  is  generally  known  as  summer  com- 
plaint, indigestion,  cramps,  dull  headaches  and  general 
languor, and  dilatation  of  the  stomach  walls  or  enlargement 
of  the  stomach.  There  is  another  thing.  Have  you  ever 
noticed  if  you  take  a  large  draught  of  ice  water  when  you 
are  very  hot  that  you  feel  somewhat  as  if  you  were  going 
to  faint?     Well,  that  results  from  the  shock  to  the  nerves 


EFFECT  OF  ICE  WATER  .      47 

in  the  blood  vessels  thereby  affectuio;  the  activity  of  the 
heart  and  the  tainting  sensation  is  not  caused  by  the  heat 
as  is  generally  supposed." 

"That  may  be  all  very  true,  doctor,  but  think  how 
cool  it  keeps  one." 

"Where  did  you  learn  that?  That  is  one  of  the  most 
absurd  notions  of  the  age.  We  get  cool  by  what  assists 
in  radiation  of  heat,  and  whatever  opens  the  pores  of  the 
skin  and  allows  the  heat  to  escape,  makes  the  body  cool. 
Trying  to  warm  a  tank  of  ice  water  in  the  stomach  does 
not  take  away  the  heat  from  the  system;  but  on  the  con- 
trary prevents  its  escape  from  the  body." 

"Then  you  would  advise  the  people  not  to  drink  ice 
water?" 

"I  would  substitute  cracked  ice,  which  answers  the 
place  much  better  and  is  much  more  effective  in  rapidly 
lowering  the  temperature  of  the  body.  If  ice  be  retained 
in  the  mouth  until  melted,  the  water  becomes  warm  be- 
fore it  reaches  the  stomach.  This  entirely  avoids  the 
evil  effect  of  ice  water  and  prevents  congestion  with  its 
train  of  ills." 

"This  does  not  give  much  water,  does  it  doctor?" 

"No,  it  is  not  the  quanity  of  ice  water  that  is  drunk 
that  gives  such  satisfaction,  but  the  contact  of  cold  to  the 
mouth  and  throat,  and  melting  ice  seems  to  answer  the 
demands  of  internal  heat  better  than  any  other  agent  at 
our  command." 

"But  cracked  ice  is  not  always  easily  obtained." 

"Then  it  is  better  to  only  use  part  ice  water  and  part 
of  water  much  warmer,  but  people  may  drink  ice  water 
in  very,  very  small  quantities  and  very  slowly.  No  one 
should  drink  more  than  a  "gill  of  very  cold  water  at 
a  time.  No  cold  drink  of  any  kind  should  be  taken  soon- 
er than  three  hours  after  meals.     In  hot  weather  where 


48    ■  EFFECT  OF  COLD  DRINKS 

there  is  an  inclination  to  drink  too  much,   a   little   water 
should  betaken  with  greater  frequency." 

"Doctor,  did  I  understand  you  to  say  that  no  cold 
water  or  cold  drink  should  betaken  soon   after   meals?" 

"Well,  not  only  should  no  cold  water  be  taken,  but  no 
cold  drink  of  any  kind  should  be  taken  at  meal  time  nor 
before  digestion  is  completed." 

"Why,  I  supposed  the  cold  drinks  would  keep  the  food 
from  souring  too  quickly  and  consequently  be  a  good 
thing." 

"You  must  have  been  reading  about  the  animals  of 
prehistoric  races,  said  to  have  been  preserved  for  several 
thousand  years  by  being  frozen.  The  fact  is,  the  water 
cannot  remain  cold  in  the  stomach,  and  if  it  did  there 
would  be  no  digestion  and  no  use  of  taking  food  at  all. 
As  soon  as  the  ice  cold  drinks  are  poured  in,  digestion 
stops  until  the  temperature  can  be  brought  up  to  normal 
heat.  This  has  a  tendency  to  exhaust  the  working 
capacity  of  the  stomach  and  if  the  cold  drinks  are  repeat- 
ed with  great  frequency,  the  stomach  becomes  perman- 
ently enlarged  and  digestion  is  paralyzed.  This  is  one 
of  the  principal  reasons  why  so  many  people  are  unwell 
and  have  diarrhoeas  and  lack  force  and  energy  in  hot 
weather." 

"Then  cold  drinks  are  worse  in  hot  weather  than  in 
cold  weather?" 

"The  principal  is  just  the  same,  only  the  system  is 
more  ennervated  in  hot  weather  and  the  inclination  to 
•rake  cold  drinks  when  we  are  warm  is  much  greater  than 
at  other  times;  therefore,  the  injury  from  cold  drinks  is 
much  more  common  in  hot  weather." 

"I  have  noticed  that  many  people  drink  hot  water, 
while  some  say  it  is  best  to  drink  notlfiing  at  all  during 
meals." 


USES  OF  HOT  WATER  49 

"Clear  hot  water  is  occasionally  a  useful  agent  for  such 
ailments  as  result  from  acute  indigestion  and  where  there 
is  no.chronic  enlargement  of  the  stomach.  Hot  water 
drinking  having  been  advocated  originally  for  a  few 
minor  ailments,  has  been  taken  up  by  the  multitude  as  a 
cure-all  for  every  disease  of  the  digestive  organs.  We 
can  consequently  call  it  a  fad  and  a  pernicious  one  at 
that.  It  is  used  ignorantly  in  many  ailments  where  it 
acts  as  a  direct  irritant.  Its  most  potently  evil  effects 
have  been  witnessed  in  those  of  a  highly  nervous  temper- 
ament known  as  neurotics  who  have  extremely  irritable 
stomachs.  To  such  it  seems  to  act  as  a  temporary  seda- 
tive but  in  reality  it  produces  a  hyper-sensitive  condition 
of  the  mucous  membrane,  which  in  time  prevents  the 
proper  digestion  of  solid  foods  and  has  a  tendency  to  add 
to  an  already  over  burdened  nervous  condition  resultiug 
in  enervation  and  prostration.  There  are  also  unknown 
conditions  of  ulcerations  of  the  stomach  where  hot  water 
often  produces  severe  hemorrhages.  These  are  only  a 
few  conditions  in  which  the  miscellaneous  and  indiscreet 
use  of  hot  water  has  an  evil  effect.  There  are  others 
too  numerous  to  mention,  but  these  will  suffice  to  put  the 
public  on  guard  against  foolishly  and  ignorantly  aping  a 
fad." 

"If  there  be  harm  in  drinking  hot  water  under  wnat 
conditions  can  it  be  used  with  benefit?" 

A  few  instances  where  hot  water  may  be  successfully 
used  are  as  follows:  If  upon  awaking  in  the  morning 
you  find  a  sensation  of  fullness  in  the  stomach,  a  heavily 
coated  tongue,  a  slightly  acid  condition  of  the  saliva  you 
may  know  that  your  previous  meal  has  left  more  or  less 
of  sour  ferment  in  the  stomach:  Now,  if  you  will  drink 
half  tea  cup  of  hot  water  it  will  clear  the  mucous  miin 
brane  of  excess  of  at'id,      mucus  and    debrie    remaining 


50  USES  OF  HOT  WATER 

from  the  previous  meal,  making  the  stomach  fresh  and 
sweet  for  the  morning  meal.  The  principle  upon  which 
this  acts  is  as  follows:  People  who  invariable  eat  three 
meals  a  day  do  not  always  completely  empty  their 
stomachs.  Now  the  indigested  portion  of  the  previous 
meal  remaining  in  the  stomach  undergoes  a  certain  amount 
of  fermentation,  and  if  another  meal  be  added  without 
first  clearing  the  stomach,  the  sour  ferment  remaing  from 
the  previous  meal,  has  a  tendency  to  decay  the  fresh 
food  of  the  succeeding  meal,  thereby  generating  abnormal 
fermentation  and  gases  which  distend  the  stomach,  with 
symptons  of  flushed  countenance,  slight  palpitation  of  the 
heart  and  much  discomfort.  This  is  what  is  usually 
known  as  indigestion." 

''Is  there  any  way  to  make  hot  water  more  palatable?" 

"Yes,  it  can  be  made  much  more  agreeable  to  the  taste 

to  take  boiling  water  and  agitate  it  like  making  lemonade. 

If  too  disagreeable  to  the  taste,  a  little  milk  may  be  added." 

"What  if  it  is  not  convenient  to  get  hot  water,  doctor.?" 

"Then  cold  water  may  be  drank  a  half  hour  before 

meals  or  especially  at  bed  time." 

''There  is  a  popular  notion  abroad  that  hot  water  is  a 
good  drink  at  meal  time.-'" 

'•Well,  it's  only  relatively  good,  that  is,  it  is  not  as  bad 
as  most  drinks  such  as  tea  and  coffee,  but  it  has  no  es- 
pecial merit  to  reeommend  it;  on  the  contrary,  any  kind 
of  fluid  dilutes  the  digestive  juices  and  makes  digestion 
more  difficult.  The  only  so-called  hot  water  drinks  at 
meal  time  that  may  be  said  to  have  any  merit  is  when  as 
much  milk  is  added  as  there  is  volume  of  water.  Water 
makes  the  milk  more  easily  digested  and  the  merit  may 
properly  be  said  to  be  in  the  milk.  Of  course,  if  circum- 
stances make  it  necessary  to  drink  at  meal  times  or  not 
at  all,  hot  water  is  the  least  objectionable,  but  it  has   no 


HOT  WATER.  51 

medicinal  effect  of  importance,  unless  taken  long  enough 
before  meals  to  allow  it  to  escape  from  the  stomach." 
"About  what  temperature  should  hot  water  be  drank?" 
"Ordinarily  from  105  to  110  degrees  Fahrenheit,  never 
hot  enough  to  scald  the  membranes.  The  notion  that 
boiling  hot  water  is  necessary  is  a  grievous  mistake." 


Chapter  v. 

BREAD. 

"Doctor,  you  say  water  in  some  form  or  other  is  the 
most  indispensable  of  all  foods,  1  suppose  that  meat  is  next 
in  importance?" 

"No  doubt  the  Esquimeaux  would  say  so,  while 
those  who  style  themselves  vegetarians  say  that  it  is  not 
only  the  least  important  but  the  most  injurious  of  all 
foods,  but  the  truth  of  the  matter  is,  all  races  have  lived 
off  of  what  they  could  get  the  easiest  and  liked  the  best; 
but  for  the  European  and  their  American  descendants,  it 
can  be  truly  said  that  bread  is  the  staff  of  life,  or  more 
strictly  speaking,  the  staff  of  life  is  wheat." 

"I  have  often  heard  bread  called  the  staff  of  life,  but 
never  knew  why.  I  suppose  it  must  be  more  wholesome 
or  more  nutritious  than  other  foods.?" 

"That  might  be  true  in  theory,  but  as  a  matter  of 
fact  it  is  often  much  more  unwholesome  than  other  foods. 
Aside  from  the  fact  that  bread  is  both  cheap  and  palatable 
it  furnishes  nearly  all  the  essential  ingredients  to  support 
life." 

"Doctor,  what  are  we  to  understand  by  essential 
ingredients.?" 

"First,  heat  or  force  producers — the  starch  and  fat 
furnish  these.  Second,  flesh  formers  or  proteid  food. 
This  is  furnished  by  the  gluten  of  the  flour.  Third,  min- 
eral matter  necessary  to  form  bones  and  tissues.  Fourth, 
waste  material.  Of  course,  bread  is  more  or  less  defi- 
cient according  to  the  material  of  which  it  is  made." 

"Some  people  think  wheat  the  best,  some  rye  and 
some  Indian  corn." 


54  PROPORTION  OF  HEAT  PRODUCING  FOODS 

"Yes,  the  Russians  and  the  Germans  prefer  rye  or 
at  least  use  rye,  while  most  of  the  English  speaking  peo- 
ple prefer  wheat  bread,  although  in  the  Southern  states 
corn  bread  is  extensively  used  and  preferred  by   many." 

"The  chemist  out  to  be  able  to  say  which  is  the  best, 
what  food  elements  does  each  kind  of  bread  contain?" 

Fine  flour  ordinarily  contains: 

r  Water  13.5 

Force  producers  <^ 'Starch  73.2 

[Cellulose  .75 

r  Fat  1.2 

Flesh    formers^  Gluten  10.5 

[^Mineral  matter  .85 

It  will  be  seen  from  this  table  that  bread  contains 
ordinarily  about  7  or  8  times  as  much  force  producing 
food  as  that  of  tissue  forming  elements,  a  proportion  con- 
siderably above  what  is  usually  estimated  to  properly 
nourish  the  human  system." 

"But,  doctor,  haven't  you  already  said  that  rice  was 
mainly  all  starch,  and  are  there  not  more  people  who 
practically  live  on  rice  than  an  other  article  of  food.?  if 
that  be  true,  it  doesn't  seem  reasonable  to  say  that  wheat 
bread  really  has  too  high  a  proportion  of  starch.  " 

"it  is  true  that  more  people  live  on  rice  than  any 
other  food,  but  an  American  laborer  with  his  mixed  diet 
can  do  twice  the  amount  of  labor  in  a  given  time  than  a 
laborer  of  rice  eating  nations." 

"How  about  Mexico?" 

"The  people  of  Mexico  eat  meat  and  the  Mexican 
laborer  is  in  no  way  superior  to  the  laborer  of  India  or 
China,  so  that  it  is  very  difficult  to  draw  conclusions  by 
analogy,  but  this  fact  remains.  The  climate  of  Mexico 
makes  a  laborer  lazy,  sluggish  and  slow,  and  also  has 
that  tendency  in  India  or  China." 


PROPERTIES  OF  BREAb  55 

"Then  on  what  does  your  statement  rest  when  you 
say  that  ordinarily  wheat  bread  has  too  high  a  proportion 
of  starch?" 

"It  rests  on  a  century  of  actual  experience  and  it 
has  been  settled  beyond  dispute  that  a  man  requires  a 
larger  per  cent  of  tissue  forming  food  ordinarily  called 
proteid  or  nitrogenous  food  than  is  contained  in  fine  wheat 
flour,  if  health  and  physical  development  are  desired,  al- 
though the  exact  proportion  depends  upon  climatic  con- 
ditions, amount  of  exercise  and  the  peculiarities  of  the 
individual.  In  Europe,  the  proportion  of  tissue  forming 
food  to  that  of  heat  or  force  producing  food  is  estimated 
at  a  ratio  of  about  1  to  3.  Some  place  the  ratio  as  high 
as  1  to  4^." 

"How  about  our  own  country?" 
"Well,  Americans  are  the  most  active  people  in  the 
world,  and  for  the  most  part  have  rather  a  bracing  clim- 
ate, so  that  we  can  stand  a  diet  as  low  in  tissue  formers 
as  1  to  6.  Of  course,  this  is  speaking  in  a  general  way, 
extreme  cold  weather  and  active  exercise  might  require 
even  a  higher  ratio  of  heat  producing  food,  while  grow- 
ing children  in  moderate  or  warm  weather  would  require 
a  proportion  more  nearly  in  accord  with  the  estimates 
for  the  Europeans." 

"What  has  climate  and  activity  to  do  with  heat  or 
force  producing  food?" 

"It  has  a  great  deal.  It  was  at  one  time  supposed  that 
great  activity  destroyed  a  great  deal  of  tissue,  but  that 
has  been  found  to  be  a  mistake.  Hard  labor  or  exercise 
increases  circulation,  and  very  naturally  more  heat  pro- 
ducing food  is  oxidized,  or  burned  up.  The  same  reason 
holds  good  in  cold  weather.  The  need  for  heat  increases 
respiration  and  circulation,  and  that  burns  up  more  fuel, 
which  the  heat  producing" food  really  is." 


56  FOOD   ELEMENTS   NECESSARY 

"Ah  1  see,  this  furnishes  quite  a  guide  to  living.  The 
sedentary  and  fat  require  less  fat  and  starch  than  the 
active,  hi  cold  weather  it  requires  more  than  in  hot 
weather." 

"Yes,  that  is  the  idea.  The  old  soldier  prefers  a  piece 
of  fat  bacon  when  he  has  a  forced  march,  while  to  the 
aged  and  infirm  it  might  be  nauseous." 

"1  suppose  we  have  about  reached  perfection  in  bread 
making,  have  we  not?" 

"I  hardly  think  so;  at  least  the  masses  are  a  long,  long 
way  from  it,  and  there  is  probably  no  one  article  of  food 
more  responsible  for  indigestion,  with  its  train  of  ills,  than 
poorly  made  bread." 

"I  have  heard  some  say  that  the  best  part  of  flour  was 
bolted  out — that  our  flour  was  too  refined." 

"There  is  a  good  deal  of  truth  in  that,  for  there  are 
three  important  elements  taken  out — the  bran,  phos- 
phates, mineral  matter,  and  a  considerable  portion  of  the 
gluten  and  nearly  all  of  the  cellulose." 

"Why  are  they  taken  out  of  the  flour.?" 

"The  bran  is  bolted  out  because  it  is  unpalatable,  and 
the  phosphates  are  unavoidably  taken  out  because  they 
adhere  to  it.  The  gluten  also  adheres  to  the  bran,  but  is 
mainly  found  in  the  heart  of  the  grain — the  part  that 
grows.  It  does  not  pulverize  so  readily  as  the  starch,  and 
is  also  bolted  out  with  the  bran  and  known  as  middlings. 
There  is  another  reason  why  middlings  from  a  commer- 
cial standpoint  is  not  desirable  in  flour — it  makes  the 
bread  darker,  but  more  yellowish  than  dark." 

"Doctor,  you  haven't  explained  in  what  wa>  the  bran 
and  phosphates  increase  the  nutritive  value  of  flour." 

"I  am  coming  to  that.  The  bran  has  no  food  valu'^,  or 
rather  nourishment  for  man.  It  is,  in  fact,  indigestible 
cellulose." 


PROPERTIES  OF  WHEAT  AND   USES  57 

"Then,  1  don't  see  any  use  in  eating  indigestible 
food." 

"I'll  tell  you  why.  Man  no  doubt  originally  ate  much 
coarser  food  than  he  does  now,  and  it  is  probable  that  his 
tendency  is  toward  concentrated  food;  but,  even' if  we 
grant  that,  it  will  still  be  several  thousand  years,  if  at 
all,  before  he  can  live  on  concentrated  food  exclusively." 

"Then  he  needs  indigestible  cellulose  in  some  form,  as 
a  sort  of  filling,  for  the  same  reason  that  a  horse  needs 
hay?" 

"Exactly.  If  there  is  not  sufficient  waste  material, 
there  is  nothing  to  stimulate  the  action  of  the  bowels,  and 
constipation  results,  with  all  its  attendant  ills." 

"Why  wouldn't  coarse  vegetables  answer  as  well.''" 

"But  many  people  don't  eat  coarse  vegetables,  besides 
the  waste  matter  can  be  too  coarse.  Many  vegetables  are 
stringy,  and  if  hastily  swallowed,  which  is  a  very  com 
mon  practice,  they  may   really   act   as   an   obstruction 
rather  than  a  stimulant  to  the  bowels." 

"But  many  people  are  troubled  with  diarrhcEa  rather 
than  constipation." 

"That's  true;  but  most  of  those  same  people  have  con- 
stipation first,  and  the  diarrhoea  is  only  nature's  way  of 
getting  rid  of  accumulated  matter,  and  not  a  few  persons 
have  found  that  they  lost  their  good  health  when  their 
occasional  diarrhoea  ceased." 

"There  must  be  other  causes  for  diarrlnea  besides  con- 
stipation." 

"Yes.  They  will  be  discussed  under  the  proper  head. 
1  merely  mentioned  it  to  emphasize  the  value  of  bran  for 
all  people  who  have  a  tendency  toward  constipation." 

"Is  bran  in  bread  of  use  to  everybody?" 

"Not  by  any  means.  If  it  greatly  irritates  the  bowels, 
it  should  be  avoided." 


58 


WHEAT  BRAN   IN  CONSTIPATION 


"Then,  according  to  your  statement,  wheat  bran  is  the 
best  waste  material  found  in  any  of  our  foods." 

"1  can  hardly  say  that.  The  bran  of  other  grains 
might  be  equally  good.  More  depends  upon  its  fineness 
than  its  name." 

"What  part  of  wheat  is  the  richest.-'" 

"That  depends  on  what  you  mean  by  richest.  A  pound 
of  wheat  germs  (wheat  gluten)  is  more  than  equal  to  two 
and  one-half  pounds  of  lean  beef,  as  flesh  formers." 

"Is  the  wheat  gluten  :is  easily  digested  as  meat.''" 

"For  a  good  many  people,  it  is  easier.  Many  persons 
tolerate  it  better  than  anything  else,  and  it  furnishes  a 
good  food  at  any  period  of  life,  and  for  almost  any  condi- 
tion." 

"As  1  understand  it,  the  starch  of  wheat  makes  the  fat; 
is  a  force  producer;  the  gluten  is  the  flesh  former;  the 
bran  furnishes  the  waste  material.  Now,  is  that  all  the 
good  things  you  can  say  about  wheat.''" 

"No;  the  phosphates  make  the  bones  and  furnish  min- 
eral matter  for  the  system." 

"Then,  as  a  food,  wheat  seems  absolutely  perfect." 

"It  is  said  to  be  the  only  perfect  food,  and  it  probably 
is  more  nearly  so  than  any  other  food;  but  for  all  that,  it 
has  too  small  a  per  cent  of  fat  and  too  little  lime.  Pigeons 
fed  on  wheat  and  distilled  water  only  lived  a  few  weeks, 
but  when  water  containing  a  small  per  cent  of  lime  was 
furnished,  instead  of  distilled  water,  there  was  apparently 
nothing  lacking,  and  the  pigeons  grew  fat." 

"What  would  you  suggest  to  add  to  it.?" 

"Well,  I  will  talk  of  that  when  I  discuss  the  different 
kinds  of  bread  and  diet  suitable  to  meet  different  condi- 
tions." 

"I  infer  from  what  you  say  that  Graham  flour  or  bread 


WHEAT  THE   BEST  FOOD      DIFFEF^ENT  FLOURS       5  9 

made  f  »oni  it  is  much  to  be  preferred  to  the  ordinary  fine 
flour  bread." 

"That  is  not  the  idea.  Graham  flour  is  supposed  to  be 
made  of  the  whole  grain,  bran  and  all.  Recently  a  pro- 
cess has  been  invented  which  saves  all  the  valuable  parts 
of  the  wheat  without  the  objectionable  and  unpalatable 
bran  in  Graham  flour.  Wheat  has  three  coats  or  en- 
velopes, and  it  is  advisable  to  remove  the  first  two,  which 
still  leaves  enough  cellulose  for  a  healthful  diet,  without 
being  in  the  least  unpalatable.  Being  sweeter,  many 
people  prefer  bread  made  of  entire  wheat  flour." 

"Then,  there  is  no  general  dislike  to  the  new  process 
common  to  brown  or  Graham  bread," 

"No;  the  dislike  to  brown  bread  results  mainly  from 
the  unpleasant  sensation  produced  in  the  mouth  by  the 
coarse  bran,  and  if  it  could  be  reduced  to  the  fineness  of 
flour,  there  would  be  no  objectionable  taste.  This  has 
led  to  the  late  method  of  removing  the  coarsest  part  of 
the  bran  and  the  name  'entire  wheat  flour'  substituted  for 
Graham  flour.  It  is  not  so  white  as  bolted  flour,  but  is 
really  more  palatable.  Goodfellow  gives  the  composition 
of  fine  flour  and  entire  wheat  flour  as  follows: 

Entire  Wheat 
Flour.  Flour. 

Water, IZ  14 

Proteids, 9-3  14.9 

Carbo-hydrates,  force  producers,  .  76.5  66.2 

Fat, 0.8  1-6 

Cellulose, 0-7  1-6 

Mineral  Matter, 0.7  1-7 

"It  will  be  seen,  on  comparison,  that  the  entire  wheat 
flour  is  richer  in  mineral  matter,  tissue  forming  elements 
and  cellulose  or  waste  matter." 


60  ADVANTAGES   OF   ENTIRE   WHEAT 

"Hoyv  would  you  sum  up  the  advantages  and  disad- 
vantages of  entire  wheat  tlour?" 

"1st.  Better  for  growing  children,  especially  if  theie  be 
constipation  or  tendency  to  rickets.  2d.  The  sedentary 
or  corpulent.  3d.  Vegetarians,  or  people  who  eat  but 
little  meat.  4th.  People  who  suffer  from  constipation. 
5th.  Mothers  during  maternity,  or  while  nursing  children. 
6th.  Those  who  have  a  tendency  to  decay  of  teeth.  No 
kind  of  bread  should  be  given  children  under  ten  months 
old." 

"Then,  fme  white  bread  is  not  so  wholesome  as  the 
other?" 

"That  is  not  a  fair  way  to  put  it.  Much  depends  on 
individual  peculiarities  and  what  other  food  is  used  with 
it.  Generally  speaking,  the  entire  wheat  flour  is  much 
superior  to  fme  flour.  If  exercise  be  such  as  to  cause 
great  peristaltic  action  of  the  bowels  with  looseness  or 
diarrhoea,  the  fme  tlour  bread  is  preferable." 

"Doctor,  you  said  a  while  ago  that  bread  was  a  great 
source  of  indigestion.  On  what  ground  do  you  make  the 
charge?" 

"Well,  bread  may  be  very  easily  dissolved  in  the  stom- 
ach, or  may  be  very  difficult.  It  depends  upon  its  phys- 
ical properties.  If  it  be  solid  or  sticky,  it  does  not  dissolve 
readily." 

"Then,  that  would  include  pancakes." 
'  "Yes,  pancakes,  dumplings,  potpie,  most  pastry  and  all 
poorly  baked  bread.  Any  bread  that  will  adhere  together 
upon  being  pressed,  forming  a  solid,  doughy  lump,  is  not 
easily  digested  and  is  a  source  of  many  disorders  of  the 
stomach." 

"There  are  many  arguments  about  which  is  more 
wholesome  hot  or  cold  bread.     Which  is  right?" 

"The  vvHiolesomeness  of  bread  does  not  depend  upon 


DOUGHY  BREAD   HOT  BREAD  CAKES       (  1 

whether  it  is  hot  or  cold.  The  objection  to  hot  bread  is 
that  as  a  rule  it  contains  more  moisture,  and  is  therefore 
much  more  doughy.  Its  particles  do  not  separate  so 
readily  when  put  in  the  mouth.  For  this  reason  there  is 
a  tendency,  almost  universal,  to  swallow  such  bread  in 
sticky  lumps,  and  of  course  the  particles  do  not  separate 
easily  when  they  reach  the  stomach.  This  causes  them 
to  be  retained  in  the  stomach  so  long  that  fermentation  is 
set  up.  if  bread  not  made  with  yeast  is  sufficiently  well 
baked,  there  can  be  no  objection  to  it  merely  because  it 
is  hot;  but  in  yeast  bread,  unless  very  thoroughly  baked, 
the  ferment  does  not  leave  the  loaf  until  six  or  eight  hours 
after  baking.  Biscuit  should  be  thin  and  baked  until  its 
particles  will  not  stick  together  when  mashed." 

"What  about  cake?" 

"Cake  contains  very  wholesome  ingredients,  but  made 
well  nigh  indigestible  by  cooking.  Rich  cakes  might  aptly 
be  described  as  butter,  sugar  and  eggs,  stuck  together 
with  a  little  flour.  The  general  objection  is  that  there  is 
an  excessive  amount  of  shortening  which  prevents  the 
digestion  of  the  flour,  and  this  is  especially  true  if  the 
shortening  be  butter,  because  the  amount  of  heat  applied 
in  baking  cake  changes  the  chemical  nature  of  butter,  and 
makes  it  very  bad  for  people  who  have  any  form  of  dys- 
pepsia. There  are  still  other  objections:  Heat  coagu- 
lates any  kind  of  albumen  (by  coagulation  we  mean  con- 
densing or  hardening),  and  the  time  required  for  baking 
cake  necessarily  so  thoroughly  toughens  the  egg  it  con- 
tains as  to  make  it  quite  indigestible." 

"What  about  the  sugar  in  cake?" 

"It  may  sour  all  that  is  eaten  with  it." 

■'Can  you  recommend  doughnuts?" 

"No;  doughnuts  are  as  indigestible  as  cake,  for  the  same 
reasons;  but  cookies  are  less  objectionable  than  ordinary 


62  FAULTS   IN    BREAD   MAKING      LIGHT   BREAD 

cake,  because  they  are  not  so  rich;  but  fritters  are  prob- 
ably the  most  indigestible  of  all  cakes." 

"Many  kinds  of  light  bread  take  their  name  from  the 
flour  used  and  the  methods  of  making  light  or  spongy. 
Yeast  bread  is  most  usually  made  of  fine  white  flour,  i.  e.. 
flour  made  with  bran  and  middlings  bolted  out." 

"Doctor,  from  what  you  say,  1  conclude  that  flour  or 
wheat  foods  are  all  good." 

"If  not  spoiled  by  the  cook.  It  has  been  already  nun- 
tioned  that  bread  is  often  unfit  to  eat." 

"Are  there  any  reasons  why  bread  is  unsuitable  for 
food,  other  than  what  you  have  mentioned?" 

"Yes,  there  are  several  faults  common  to  ordinary 
bread  making." 

"What  are  some  of  them?" 

"Too  much  yeast  is  used,  and  too  long  fermentation 
allowed.  The  more  quickly  bread  can  be  fermented  the 
more  wholesome  it  will  be,  and  if  fermentation  be  too 
great,  part  of  it  is  changed  into  acetic  and  lactic  acid. 
Bread  is  sometimes  less  wholesome  because  of  ingredients 
other  than  flour,  which  are  added  for  various  purposes. 
Potatoes  are  often  used,  so  that  the  bread  will  absorb  a 
large  amount  of  water,  making  a  heavy  loaf  with  a  small 
amount  of  flour.  Alum  is  frequently  used  in  bread  to 
whiten  it,  and  as  it  is  an  astringent  mineral,  likely  to  do 
injury,  no  one  should  eat  bread  containing  it.  Another 
extremely  objectionable  thing  common  to  baker's  bread 
is  the  unwholesome  places  in  which  it  is  made.  No  lan- 
guage of  condemnation  can  be  too  strong  to  apply  to  the 
foul  bakeries  located  in  cellars  and  infested  with  rats, 
roaches,  flies,  vermin,  bad  air  from  foul  closets,  and  op- 
erated by  an  unclean  baker.  The  health  officers  of 
ev^ry  city  should  see  that  all  bakeries  are  kept  in  a  san- 
itary condition." 


TOAST  63 

*'Can  you  give  specific  rules  for  bread  making?" 

'  That  is  very  difficult.  Some  flours  require  more 
kneading  than  others.  Then,  again,  atmospheric  condi- 
tions have  something  to  do  with  it.  Bread  making  re- 
quires care,  and  this  is  most  likely  the  reason  why  so  few 
bakers  or  cooks  become  good  bread  makers." 

"A  good  many  people  say  they  cannot  eat  fresh  bread 
only  stale.     Why  is  this?" 

"The  principal  reason  is  that  in  fresh  bread  the  parti- 
cles adhere  together  in  eating,  so  that  it  forms  a  large 
bolus,  which  is  not  easily  dissolved  by  the  gastric  juice-." 

"Doctor,  toast  is  nearly  always  used  for  the  sick,  and 
probably  has  been  so  used  for  several  generations.  Does 
toasting  bread  make  it  more  digestible,  or  is  it  only  used 
because  it  is  more  palatable?" 

"It  is  both,  but  it  is  doubtful  whether  the  reason  is  un- 
derstood." 

"Then,  the  fact  that  it  is  beneficial  is  only  accidental, 
but  the  reason  will  be  none  the  less  interesting." 

"It  is  very  well  known  that  dry  charcoal  will  sweeten 
almost  anything  with  which  it  is  brought  in  contact — its 
disinfecting  uses  apply  to  the  stomach  the  same  as  to 
other  things.  Now,  toasting  bread  chars  a  certain  amount 
of  it,  and  it  is  therefore  to  that  extent  a  disinfectant  or 
sweetener,  but  the  most  important  change  is  a  chemical 
one,  caused  by  the  application  of  intense  heat  in  toasting. 
Bread,  when  toasted,  is  changed  to  what  the  chemists  call 
dextrine,  which  is  part  of  the  change  that  takes  place  in 
digestion,  so  that  toasting  bread  partly  digests  it  and 
makes  it  a  more  suitable  food  for  those  who  are  sick.  It 
might  also  be  added  that  the  flavor  of  toasted  bread  is 
often  very  agreeable  and  useful  on  that  account." 

"Doctor,  are  there  any  objections  to  toasted  bread?" 

"There  are  no  objections,  other  than  the  manner  in 


64  DIFFERENT   KINDS  OF  BREAD 

which  it  is  done.  To  get  good  results  the  slices  snould 
be  cut  thin  and  heat  enough  applied  to  drive  all  the  mois- 
ture out  of  it.  The  heat  should  be  applied  slowly  at  first, 
and  then  finished  at  an  intense  heat.  A  good  way  is  to 
put  the  slices  of  bread  in  an  oven,  and  then  only  partly 
close  the  oven  door.  When  bread  is  moderately  dry  it 
should  be  taken  out  and  toasted.  If  the  slices  are  cut 
thick  and  only  toasted  a  little  on  the  outside,  the  moisture 
in  the  bread  is  merely  driven  to  the  centre  of  the  slice, 
making  it  much  like  dough  and  wholly  unfit  for  the  uses 
usually  desired.  For  this  reason  toast,  if  not  properly 
made,  may  be  injurious  instead  of  beneficial;  and  it  should 
be  borne  in  mind  that  bread  should  never  be  buttered  be- 
fore toasting,  as  butter  melted  by  fire  is  chemically 
changed  and  injurious  to  the  stomach." 

"How  many  different  kinds  of  bread  are  there?" 
"Probably  the  first  and  most  common  is  ordinary  yeast 
"^read.  The  next  in  importance,  or  at  least  the  next  best 
inown,  is  brown  bread,  or  Graham  bread.  Recently  the 
entire  wheat  bread  is  becoming  much  in  favor.  The 
various  other  breads  are  known  as  aerated  bread,  rye 
bread,  milk  bread,  unleavened  bread,  malted  bread,  salt- 
rising  bread,  germ  bread,  gluten  bread.  This  does  not 
include  every  variety  or  patent  bread,  but  substantially 
represents  the  different  processes  and  kinds  of  bread. 
Others  are  mere  variations  of  those  enumerated.  In  yeast 
bread  the  sponge  is  formed  by  the  yeast  ferment  setting 
free  carbonic  acid  gas,  which  passes  through  the  dough 
and  makes  it  porous,  y^rated  bread  is  a  chemical  pro- 
cess. The  gas  necessary  for  making  the  dough  spongy  is 
generated  in  a  separate  vessel  by  the  use  of  sulphuric 
acid  on  limestone,  most  usually  marble  dust.  The  gas  is 
forced  into  water  slightly  acidulated,  and  this  is  mixed 
with  the  dough  in  strong  receivers,  where  the  gas  is  kept 


UNLEAVENED  BREAD     GERM   BREAD  f 5 

from  escaping.  After  the  mixing  or  kneading,  the  bread 
is  baked  the  same  as  any  other.  This  process  made  con- 
siderable headway  for  a  time,  but  has  been  ahnost  entirely 
abandoned  of  recent  years.  Graham  broad  is  merely  a 
mixture  of  common  flour,  bran  and  middlings.  It  is  much 
coarser  than  ordinary  bread,  and  is  highly  recommended 
in  constipation.  Its  unpalatableness  makes  it  unpopular. 
The  entire  wheat  bread  has  already  been  described.  Milk 
bread  is  made  from  ordinary  dough,  to  which  milk  has 
been  added.  This  improves  the  flavor  and  adds  to  its 
nutritive  properties,  but  it  does  not  keep  sweet  very 
long. 

"Unleavened  bread  is  not  fermented  at  all,  and  no 
means  are  taken  to  aerate  it  by  any  chemical  process. 
Flour  is  usually  mixed  to  the  proper  consistency  and  then 
flattened  out  into  thin  cakes  or  strips,  and  baked  quickly. 
Very  nice  biscuits  can  be  made  by  mixing  flour  or  milk  at 
a  very  low  temperature  (ice  cold),  and  baking  in  an  un- 
usually hot  oven.  The  biscuits  must  be  made  thin,  and 
the  heat  suificient  to  quickly  generate  steam  enough  to 
make  the  biscuits  almost  as  light  as  if  chemicals  had  been 
used.  Malted  bread  is  made  by  the  addition  of  barley 
malt  to  the  sponge  or  dough.  This  quickens  the  fermen- 
tation and  makes  a  very  sweet  bread;  so  that  malted 
bread  is  said  to  be  more  digestibl2  :han  ordinary  bread, 
and  the  flavor  more  pleasant. 

"Germ  bread  is  made  of  that  portion  of  the  wheat 
known  as  the  embryo,  the  part  that  grows.  It  is  very 
rich  in  gluten,  almost  as  much  gluten  as  starch.  It  is 
therefore  a  specially  valuable  food  for  some  people. 
Gluten  bread  is  supposed  to  be  pure  gluten  without  any 
starch  whatever.  It  is  made  by  taking  wheat  middlings 
or  flour  and  enclosing  it  in  a  bag  or  sack  and  washing  un- 
til the  starch  is  all  dissolved  and  taken  up  by  the  water. 


6  6  BISCUITS       BAKING   POWDERS 

The  gluten  is  not  soluble  in  cold  water,  and  therefore  re- 
mains in  the  bag.  The  special  value  of  gluten  bread  is 
because  it  contains  no  starch  and  is  used  in  that  class  of 
disease  known  as  glycosuria,  or  diabetes,  and  for  obese 
people.     It  is  also  used  in  intestinal  dyspepsia." 

"Doctor,  you  haven't  lived  in  the  South  very  much,  or 
else  you  would  have  spoken  of  biscuits  the  first  thing,  in- 
stead of  yeast  bread.  A  good  many  people  think  them  a 
great  source  of  dyspepsia  and  unfit  to  eat,  while  there  are 
others  who  think  light  bread  unfit  to  eat,  and  refuse  to  eat 
anything  except  biscuits  when  they  can  be  obtained. 
Will  you  tell  which  is  better.?" 

"Biscuits  are  not  objectionable  because  of  their  form  or 
name,  nor  merely  because  they  are  eaten  hot." 

"Then,  I  suppose  you  mean  that  they  are  objectionable 
only  when  they  are  not  well  made.''" 

"Not  exactly.  They  may  be  very  palatable,  yet  very 
unwholesome.  There  are  two  serious  objections  to  bis- 
cuits— as  a  rule,  they  are  insufficiently  baked,  so  that 
they  are  sticky  and  becom.e  an  insoluble  mass  when 
eaten;  and  the  other  objection  is  because  of  the  chemicals 
used  to  make'them  light.  Baking  powders  contain  a  great 
variety  of  ingredients,  some  of  which  are  very  unpalata- 
ble and  nauseous.  Many  of  them  contain  alum  and  am- 
monia. Alum  is  a  dangerous  astringent,  while  perhaps 
more  real  harm  is  done  by  ammonia.  Whenever  you 
break  open  a  hot  biscuit  and  can  smell  ammonia,  it  might 
he  well  to  bear  in  mind  that  you  have  the  equivalent  of 
what  you  would  most  strongly  smell  upon  entering  a 
horse  stable." 

"Aside  from  bread,  the  preparation  of  wheat  most  ex- 
tensively used  is  crackers.  There  are  many  ways  of 
making  what  is  ordinarily  termed  crackers,  but  their  food 
value  is  substantially  the  same,  with  a  slight  variation. 


VARIOUS   PREPARATIONS   OF  WHEAT  67 

according  to  the  amount  of  shortening  or  sweetening  that 
may  be  added." 

"Some  people  think  dry  crackers  very  unwholesome?" 
"In  that  they  make  a  mistake.  Being  composed  prin- 
cipally of  starch,  their  dryness  is  an  advantage  rather 
than  disadvantage,  for  they  cannot  be  swallowed  without 
mastication,  and  in  doing  this  the  particles  of  starch  be- 
come more  or  less  thoroughly  saturated  with  saliva — as 
this  is  an  important  digestive  agent  for  starches,  it  should 
be  understood  that  it  is  better  to  eat  starchy  food  dry. 
The  United  States  army  physicians  say  the  soldier's 
health  cannot  be  maintained  without  some  dry  substance 
on  which  to  bite.  The  theory  of  this  is  that  in  using  soft 
foods  exclusively  the  uses  and  functions  of  saliva  are 
partly  or  entirely  dispensed  with,  throwing  the  digestion 
of  starches  entirely  upon  the  pancreas  and  other  solvents 
in  the  intestinal  canal.  This  very  fact  of  compelling  one 
set  of  organs  to  do  the  work  of  another  is  one  of  the  great 
sources  of  ill  health.  If  people  could  only  be  brought  to 
understand  that  starch  is  largely  digested  in  the  mouth, 
from  the  saliva  received  there,  it  might  be  possible  to 
keep  them  from  swallowing  their  food  without  chewing 
it.  The  ignorance  on  this  subject  is  almost  astonishing. 
Even  a  physician  was  recently  heard  to  remark  that  he 
couid  not  eat  dry  crackers;  chat  his  stom.ach  was  too 
weak  to  dissolve  them.  This  no  doubt  was  said  without 
stopping  to  consider  that  starch  is  not  digested  at  all  in 
the  stomach,  only  to  the  extent  that  the  digestion  con- 
tinues for  a  short  time  from  the  effects  of  the  saliva  re- 
ceived in  the  mouth. 

"Macaroni  is  an  Italian  preparation,  and  it  forms  a 
large  part  of  their  diet.  It  is  made  from  wheat  ani'  gen- 
erally supposed  to  contain  a  higher  per  cent  of  search 
than  flour,  but  recent  analysis  disprovesthis.     Its  stringy 


68 


MACARONI 


form  is  obtained  by  forcing  dough  through  small  perfora- 
tions in  a  cylindrical  sheet  of  metal.  It  is  very  similar  to 
bread  in  its  properties,  and  the  only  objection  to  it  is  that 
is  not  as  friable  as  could  be  desired.  By  this  we  mean 
that  the  particles  adhere  together  and  do  not  separate 
readily  by  either  cooking  or  by  chewing,  but  if  well  mas- 
ticated, macaroni  is  a  wholesome,  nutricious  food." 

"Doctor,  are  there  not  a  good  many  preparations  of 
wheat  in  the  shape  of  meal,  breakfast  foods,  etc.?" 

"Yes,  their  use  is  just  becoming  understood,  and  too 
much  cannot  be  said  in  favor  of  them.  Even  whole 
wheat,  when  it  is  washed  and  boiled  for  six  or  eight  hours, 
makes  a  wholesome  and  nutritious  food.  Many  people 
think  it  quite  palatable  when  cream  is  added  to  it.  Modern 
milling  processes  have  given  the  people  various  prepara- 
tions of  wheat  of  the  highest  excellence." 

"Which  of  the  various  wheat  preparations  do  you  prize 
most  highly?" 

"That  would  depend  upon  the  use  desired.  Wheat 
germ  meal  (put  up  under  various  names  of  wheat  germ, 
germea,  breakfast  foods,  perhaps  many  other  names)  is 
one  of  the  most  valuable  of  all  our  foods." 

"Doctor,  you  seem  to  give  wheat  the  first  place  as  a 
food.  Are  there  any  preparations  of  wheat  you  can  spe- 
cially recommend  for  different  conditions?" 

"There  are  a  number  of  good  wheat  foods,  and  anyone 
who  can  increase  their  use  as  a  food  in  place  of  many  that 
are  less  desirable  is  a  public  benefactor.  One  of  the  con- 
cerns that  has  done  this  is  the  Purina  mills  of  St.  Louis." 
,     "What  is  their  product  like?" 

/  "It  is  a  meal.  They  call  it  Ralston  Health  Club  Break- 
fast Food,  and  though  badly  named,  one  can  hardly  say 
too  much  for  it  as  a  wholesome  food.  It  is  made  from  the 
very  best  wheat,  the  outer  bran  being  removed  by  the 


WHEAT  GERM  MEAL  69 

cyclone  process.  This  saves  practically  all  the  phos- 
phates, which  are  usually  lost  in  holtinjj;  out  the  bran  by 
the  old  methods." 

"Then,  it  is  a  whole  wheat  meal.'"' 

"Not  exactly.  Part  of  the  starch  is  removed  in  mill- 
ing, making  it  richer  in  gluten.  It  contains  less  coarse 
bran  than  many  other  wheat  preparations,  and  is  there- 
fore to  be  preferred  for  children.  If  hard  water  is  used, 
the  addition  of  cream  makes  it  a  perfect  food.  Such  foods 
should  not  be  used  merely  for  breakfast,  but  should  form 
a  large  part  of  our  diet.  Too  much  cannot  be  said  in  its 
favor." 

"Doctor,  what  class  of  people  are  especially  benefited 
by  the  breakfast  foods,  or  wheat  germ  meal?" 

"Perhaps  its  greatest  use  is  for  old  people  who  are  too 
corpulent;  as  the  heat  producing  and  fat  forming  element 
is  less  than  bread,  it  furnishes  the  necessary  elements  of 
life  without  the  objections  to  many  other  foods,  meat  in 
particular.  It  contains  usually  small  particles  of  bran, 
which  is  a  great  aid  in  preventing  constipation.  It  is  also 
particularly  valuable  as  a  food  for  growing  children,  be-^ 
cause  it  furnishes  the  necessary  things  to  make  bone  and 
tissue.  Its  nutritive  value,  pound  for  pound,  is  about 
2^  times  that  of  beef  steak,  and  as  it  costs  less  than  half 
as  much  per  pound,  its  economy  is  apparent.  It  ought  to 
a  very  great  extent  be  substituted  for  meat,  because  it  is 
a  more  wholesome  food,  and  for  many  people  even  more 
palatable." 

"How  should  it  be  cooked.  Doctor.?" 

"It  requires  a  great  deal  of  cooking.  Some  prepara- 
tions of  it  are  partly  cooked.  These  can  be  made  ready 
for  use  in  from  half  an  hour  to  an  hour.  Like  oatmeal,  if 
it  lus  never  been  cooked  at  all,  it  requires  three  or  four 
hours  continuous  boiling  to  properly  cook  it.     The  same 


70  COOKED  CEREALS 

rules  apply  as  that  of  oatmeal.  It  may  be  eaten  with 
milk  and  sugar,  but  dyspeptics  should  eat  it  without 
sugar.  Another  preparation,  not  so  favorably  well  known, 
IS  cracked  wheat.  This  does  not  differ  materially  from 
the  entire  wheat  kernel,  but  is  more  easily  cooked,  because 
it  is  partly  pulverized." 

"Doctor,  the  public  will  call  you  a  crank  on  the  value 
of  wheat  foods." 

''Well,  names  don't  hurt  me,'  while  wheat  foods 
help  the  people.  So  far,  we  have  not  discussed  the 
cooked  or  predigested  foods,  and  as  some  of  these  are  so 
valuable  as  curative  agents,  they  deserve  more  than  or- 
dinary mention." 

"In  what  particular.?" 

"You  will  better  understand  their  value  when  I  explain 
that  the  modern  way  of  treating  disease  is  by  aiding 
nature.  This  is  done  in  two  ways:  (1)  By  increasing 
the  activity  of  the  excretory  organs,  and  in  that  way 
throwing  off  the  poisonous  or  waste  matter  from  the  sys- 
tem. (2)  By  furnishing  the  necessary  elements  for  the 
body  that  will  be  readily  assimilated,  notwithstanding 
the  enfeebled  condition  of  the  system.  The. Sanitarium 
Health  Food  Co.,  of  Battle  Creek,  Mich.,  have  made 
some  new  foods  that  better  aid  nature  than  anything 
heretofore  known — at  least,  for  some  diseases,  it  is  doubt- 
ful if  there  is  any  remedy  equal  to  Granose." 

"Granose!  What  is  it?  If  it  has  such  remarkable  ef- 
fects, the  doctors  will  have  to  go  out  of  business." 

"There  is  another  way  of  looking  at  it.  If  all  died  right 
soon,  there  would  be  nobody  to  get  sick,  but  if  they  are 
kept  alive  they  are  likely  to  do  some  imprudent  thing  that 
will  result  in  their  illness,  and  Granose  is  so  good  for  the 
sick  that  the  people  should  know  about  it.  As  to  wljat  it 
is,  1  will  explain  in  dt-tail.      Choice  wheat  is  first  cleaned 


COOKED  CEREALS  71 

of  all  dirt,  chess,  cockle  and  cut  straws.  It  is  tlien 
scoured  and  sterilized  in  such  a  way  that  all  the  starch 
cells  are  burst  or  broken  apart.  The  next  process  is 
that  of  reducing  the  grains  to  thin  flakes.  This  is  done 
by  machinery  made  especially  for  the  purpose.  The  last 
important  process  is  the  roasting,  which  is  done  in  such  a 
way  as  to  dextrinize  the  starch  of  the  grain,  and  this 
makes  a  heat  digested  food." 

"That  seems  to  be  quite  an  innovation  in  the  manufac- 
ture of  foods." 

"Yes,  the  processes  are  quite  original,  each  one  of 
which  are  for  a  specific  purpose.  The  object  being  to 
save  all  the  valuable  properties  of  the  grain,  convert  what 
is  commonly  wasted  into  a  valuable  intestinal  stimuant, 
harmless  but  effective,  and  at  the  same  time  make  one 
of  the  most  palatable  and  nourishing  foods  ever  manu- 
factured." 

"That  is  very  interesting.  What  particular  diseases 
are  benefited  by  Granose.?" 

"Granose  is  the  nearest  a  specific  for  constipation  of 
anything  yet  discovered,  and  it  will  do  more  to  smooth  an 
irritable  temper  and  clear  away  the  clouds  of  despondency 
than  any  amount  of  good  luck.  People  who  have  head- 
aches, skin  eruptions,  asthma,  epilepsy,  piles,  flatulent 
dyspepsia,  torpid  liver,  or  Bright's  disease,  should  try 
Granose.  Delicate  and  anaemic  women  and  children  will 
be  greatly  benefited  by  such  foods,  and  if  combined  with 
the  nut  foods,  rich  and  healthy  blood  will  bring  bright 
color  and  strength.  If  those  who  are  subject  to  bilious  at- 
tacks and  sick  headaches  will  eat  such  cereal  foods  as 
Granose,  they  will  rarely,  if  ever,  need  drugs  to  keep 
them  in  condition.  Granose  is  a  good  food  in  nearly  all 
forms  of  disease,  except  diabetes  and  intestinal  inflamma- 
tions." 


72  COOKED  CEREALS 

•'Doctor,  you  speak  of  Granose  as  almost  a  cure-all." 

"Not  at  all,  but  so  many  diseases  result  from  mal-nutri- 
tion  it  can  safely  be  said  that  whatever  relieves  it  must 
necessarily  be  a  blessing  to  the  race;  and  while  Granose 
will  not  raise  the  dead,  it  is  a  valuable  aid  in  restoring 
vigorous  life  in  many  forms  of  disease." 

"Is  there  no  other  cereal  food  equal  to  Granose  as  an 
invalid  food?" 

"That  depends  on  conditions.  The  same  company 
make  a  food  they  call  Granola,  which  is,  as  they  style  it, 
a  twin  of  Granose.  Granola  is  a  mixture  of  wheat  and 
oa's,  but  prepared  in  a  different  way.  It  contains  slightly 
more  nutriment  than  Granose  or  other  wheat  foods,  and 
is  especially  valuable  for  children,  invalids,  chronic  dys- 
peptics, and  those  who  have  dilated  stomachs  or  uric  acid 
diseases.  Both  of  these  foods  are  ready  for  immediate 
use.  A  little  water,  milk  or  cream  is  ail  that  is  required 
to  provide  a  health  giving  and  appetizing  dish." 

"1  don't  see  the  advantage  of  having  two  foods  so  much 
alike." 

"Different  preparations,  though  equally  good,  supply 
different  needs;  besides  there  is  a  great  difference  in  peo- 
ple's tastes,  which  is  always  an  important  consideration. 
To  meet  the  great  variety  of  tastes  and  needs  of  the  af- 
flicted, the  Sanitarium  Health  Food  Co.  make  a  great  va- 
riety of  cereal  foods.  Crystal  Wheat  is  another  cooked 
food  of  much  merit.  It  should  be  prepared  in  about  the 
same  way  as  rolled  oats.  Being  coarser  than  Granose  or 
Granola,  it  requires  some  cooking.  It  is  a  desirable  food 
for  daily  use,  and  useful  in  dyspepsia  and  uric  acid  dis- 
eases. These  foods  are  altogether  unlike  Graham  flour, 
cracked  wheat  and  oats,  all  of  which  have  more  or  less 
sharp  edge  flakes  of  bran,  which  sometimes  irritate  delicate 
stomachs.    The  processes  used  in  the  manufacture  of  the 


COOKED  CEREALS 


73 


Sanitarium  foods  reduce  tiie  bran  to  such  a  fine  state  as 
to  make  them  more  pahitable  and  less  irritating." 

"That  all  sounds  very  well,  but  the  public  will  be  slow 
to  believe  that  any  of  these  foods  are  nutritious  like  beef- 
steak," 

"That  is  a  subject  on  which  the  public  are  much  misin- 
formed. As  a  matter  of  fact,  one  pound  of  either  Granose 
or  Granola  contains  nearly  three  times  as  much  nutri- 
ment as  a  pound  of  beefsteak." 

"I  don't  see  how  that  can  be." 

"Beefsteak  contains  so  much  water — nearly  three- 
fourths — depending  on  how  fat  it  is." 

"From  what  you  say,  doctor,  the  making  of  health 
foods  by  the  Sanitarium  company  is  a  great  blessing  to 
the  afflicted," 

"Yes;  in  addition  to  the  foods  mentioned,  they  make 
numerous  others  that  are  extensively  used.  Their  Gluten 
biscuit  is  of  inestimable  value  for  diabetics.  They  also 
make  a  40  and  60  per  cent  Gluten  biscuit,  on  which  many 
diabetics  thrive.  So  far  as  we  know  these  are  the  only 
reliable  Gluten  preparations  in  this  country.  Their  pure 
Gluten  biscuit  does  not  show  any  starch  by  the  ordinary 
tests.  As  foods  for  the  well,  the  Sanitarium  biscuits 
(crackers)  are  both  palatable  and  healthful.  They  make 
entire  wheat  and  oatmeal  biscuit  with  and  without  sweet- 
ning  and  shortening.  Their  plain  biscuits,  containing 
the  entire  grain  with  nothing  else  but  a  little  salt  are  the 
best  for  dyspeptics  and  athletes.  Their  Gofio,  Zwieback, 
Avenola,  Wheat  Granola  are  all  useful  cooked  foods, 
while  their  Wheat  Germ  Grits  is  a  good  substitute  for 
meats,  and  especially  valuable  to  the  roroulent  and  rheu- 
matic with  a  tendency  to  constipation  Of  recent  years 
many  patent  infant  foods  have  appeared,  and  the  Sanita- 
rium company  make  a  good  one,  but  they  do  not  recom- 


74  COOKED  CEREALS 

mend  it  for   children  who   have    not   begun   teething." 
"Are  there  no  other  important  ready  prepared  cereal 
foods?" 

"Yes,  the  Sanitas  Food  Co.,  of  Battle  Creek,  Mich., 
make  a  Malted  Gluten  that  greatly  aids  in  the  cure  of  in- 
testinal diseases,  and  as  a  food  to  tone  up  those  who  are 
run  down.  It  is  also  of  value  in  neurasthenia.  Those 
who  wish  to  get  fat  are  sometimes  greatly  aided  by  first 
using  such  foods  as  Malted  Gluten,  or  other  food  rich  in 
nitrogen." 


CHAPTER  VI. 
RYE  AND  CORN   BREAD. 

Rye  bread  has  never  been  extensively  used  in  America, 
although  it  is  more  or  less  used  in  cities  having  a  German 
population.  It  does  not  differ  greatly  from  wheat  bread, 
except  that  it  is  darker,  of  a  closer  texture,  and  to  most 
people  less  palatable.  It  is  recommended  topeople  who 
have  a  tendency  to  constipation.  Doubtless  this  results 
more  from  its  texture  than  its  chemical  elements,  for  va- 
rious experiments  have  demonstrated  the  fact  that  it  is 
less  easily  digested  and  more  waste  matter  is  thrown  off. 
This  perhaps  explains  its  laxative  tendency.  It  is  said 
that  it  will  keep  fresh  longer  than  wheat  bread,  and  that 
it  should  be  baked  in  a  much  hotter  oven. 

Corn  bread  is  made  from  the  meal  of  maize  or  Indian 
corn.  It  is  used  extensively  in  the  Southern  portion  of 
the  United  States  for  bread.  A  large  number  of  the  peo- 
ple prefer  it  to  wheaten  bread. 

"Doctor,  a  good  many  people  think  corn  bread  much 
more  wholesome  than  wheat.    Are  they  right  or  wrong?" 

"There  is  some  foundation  for  the  belief,  for  as  already 
explained,  the  tendency  of  English  speaking  people,  at 
least,  is  toward  foods  entirely  too  concentrated,  resulting 
in  almost  universal  constipation,  and  the  fact  that  corn 
meal  contains  more  or  less  bran  and  is  really  a  coarse 
food,  explains  why  it  is  more  wholesome  than  ordinary 
wheat  bread." 

"Has  it  any  properties  not  common  to  wheat?" 

"It  has  not.  Corn  is  inferior  to  either  wheat  or  oats 
as  a  food,  except  for  fattening,  although  it  contains  very 
similar  properties.     It  has  a  little  more  oil  than  wheat, 


76  CORN 

and  a  higher  per  cent  of  starch,  if  grown  in  the  Central 
or  Western  States.  Corn  grown  in  the  far  South  has  a 
high  per  cent  of  nitrogen  or  tissue  forming  elements.  It 
answers  the  requirements  substantially  of  either  wheat, 
oats  or  rye,  and  is  the  cheapest  of  all  foods,  furnishing 
approximately  the  necessaries  of  life." 

"What  is  the  special  value  of  corn?" 

"Corn  is  an  exceedingly  nutritious  food,  containing  all 
the  necessary  elements  of  food,  but  ordinarily  too  high 
percentage  of  starch,  except  when  grown  in  hot  climates. 
It  is  therefore  the  most  fattening  of  all  the  cereals,  or  for 
that  matter,  it  excels  every  other  food  in  fattening  qual- 
ities, except  those  containing  large  quantities  of  sugar  or 
oil.  Next  to  corn  bread,  corn  meal  mush  is  of  secondary 
importance." 

"Are  there  any  objections  to  corn  meal  mush?" 

"The  principal  objection  is  that  it  is  too  easily  swal- 
lowed. Like  all  starchy  foods,  it  requires  the  saliva  to 
properly  prepare  it  for  digestion.  Corn  meal  mush  would, 
however,  be  much  better  than  what  it  usually  is  if  well 
cooked.  It  should  be  stirred  in  three  or  four  times  its  vol- 
ume of  cold  water,  and  then  boiled  for  about  three  or  four 
hours." 

"What  about  corn  starch?" 

"Corn  starch  is  made  from  both  green  and  ripened 
corn.  That  made  from  the  unripened  corn  is  put  up  for 
the  purposes  of  food.  It  is  very  palatable  and  nutritious, 
but  contains  no  other  element  except  the  starch,  and  is 
therefore  only  a  heat  or  fat  producer.  It  is  not  a  desira- 
ble food  for  persons  who  are  troubled  with  acid  dyspepsia, 
especially  if  it  be  eaten  with  sugar,  as  the  combination 
ferments  quickly." 

"What  about  roasting  ears?" 

"Green  corn,  commonly  called  roasting  ears,  is  very 


CORN      HOMINY  77 

palatable  and  would  not  be  objectionable  except  for  the 
bran  which  envelopes  the  grain.  This  is  a  tough,  insolu- 
ble substance,  and  is  frequently  a  cause  of  diarrhcx^a  or 
summer  complaint  during  its  season.  If  the  starch  be  ab- 
stracted by  grating,  it  is  not  so  objectionable." 

•'Then,  canned  corn  or  dried  corn  would  have  the  same 
indigestible  material?" 

"That  is  true;  it  is  not  good  food.  If  we  had  some  way 
of  grinding  up  the  husks  or  tough  part,  it  might  be  espe- 
cially valuable,  but  as  it  is,  it  is  extremely  objection- 
able." 

"Are  there  no  desirable  preparations  of  corn?" 

"Yes,  grits  and  hominy  are  good  foods,  and  are  the 
cheapest  of  any  in  existence.  Grits  is  the  fine  particles 
obtained  in  making  hominy,  and  is  extensively  used  for 
food  in  the  Southern  States.  Hominy,  being  the  coarser 
particles,  requires  if  anything  more  cooking,  and  has  pro- 
portionately a  higher  per  cent  of  starch  than  the  grits. 
Both  should  be  boiled  four  hours,  or  until  they  are  re- 
duced to  a  pulp.  Lye  hominy  is  made  from  whole  ker- 
nels of  corn.  It  is  placed  in  a  vessel,  and  a  weak  solution 
of  lye  is  added  and  left  standing  until  the  lye  has  in  a 
measure  destroyed  the  tough  cellulose  coat  of  the  corn. 
It  is  then  removed  from  the  lye  water,  rubbed  and 
washed  until  most  of  the  bran  is  removed.  Then  the 
corn  is  soaked  in  water  until  the  lye  is  substantially  all 
absorbed." 

"Does  this  make  corn  more  digestible?" 

"Yes;  the  lye  has  a  chemical  action  upon  the  starch 
and  partly  digests  it.  Lye  hominy  is  almost  more  of  a 
medicine  than  a  food,  and  it  would  therefore  hardly  be 
desirable  for  one  in  health  to  eat  lye  hominy  continually 
but  for  some  dyspetics  it  is  especially  useful." 

"Whi)t  can  you  say  about  parched  corn?" 


78  POP  CORN       BUCKWHEAT 

"Corn  is  parched  by  simply  applying  sufficient  heat  to 
roast  it  brown.  The  starch,  in  a  measure,  becomes  dex- 
trinized,  and  would  be  easily  digested  if  it  were  reduced 
to  a  fine  powder," 

"Does  the  parching  destroy  the  bran?" 

"To  a  certain  extent  it  does,  and  the  only  objection  to 
parched  corn  is  that  it  is  usually  poorly  masticated,  and 
if  swallowed  in  coarse  broken  fragments,  it  is  not  easily 
digested.  Pop  corn  is  a  small  variety  of  corn  used  for 
food  exclusively.  It  contains  a  larger  per  cent  of  oil  than 
ordinary  corn,  and  when  subjected  to  a  high  degree  of 
heat,  the  oil  causes  the  grain  to  pop  open." 

"A  great  many  people  regard  pop  corn  as  unwhole- 
some.    If  this  be  true,  on  what  grounds?" 

"Pop  corn  is  not  unwholesome  so  far  as  its  composition 
is  concerned,  but  its  texture  is  where  the  difficulty  lies. 
It  is  mere  or  less  tough  and  if  swallowed  in  particles  from 
the  size  of  a  grain  of  wheat  up  to  whole  grains  of  corn,  it 
is  very  difficult  to  digest.  It  is  therefore  liable  to  cause 
either  intestinal  inflammation  by  irritation  or  obstruction 
in  the  bowels.  It  ought  never  to  be  given  to  children, 
and  any  one  doing  so  cannot  have  much  regard  for  the  life 
of  the  child.  It  is  not  an  uncommon  thing  among  children 
for  death  to  result  from  eating  pop  corn." 

"Buckwheat  is  a  cereal  much  prized  by  many  people, 
but  so  little  used  it  hardly  deserves  to  be  mentioned." 

"What  are  its  properties,  Doctor?" 

"The  properties  of  buckwheat  are  very  similar  to  that 
of  rye.  Both  contain  less  tissue  forming  elements  than 
wheat  or  oats,  are  less  digestible,  and  not  so  valuable  as 
food." 

"I  have  never  seen  any  bread  made  of  buckwheat. 
Suppose  it  has  no  other  use  than  for  pancakes?" 

"That  is  its  common  use.     Some  people  like  the  flavor 


BREAD  WITH  OTHER  FOODS  79 

of  buckwheat  cakes  very  much,  but  they  are  rather  waxy 
and  difficult  to  digest.  There  is  another  objection  to 
buckwheat,  and  that  is  that  it  frequently  causes  an  erup- 
tion of  the  skin  called  erythema.  This  is  very  disagree- 
able because  of  its  continuous  itching.  No  one  should 
eat  buckwheat  cakes  unless  they  care  more  for  their 
palates  than  their  stomachs  and  health." 

"Cannot  buckwheat  be  safely  used  at  all?" 

"It  can  be  used  with  more  advantage  if  nearly  one-half 
the  volume  be  of  corn  meal." 

"Are  these  all  the  bread  foods?" 

"There  are  other  vegetables  used  for  bread,  but  not 
to  any  great  extent  in  this  country." 

"What  foods  are  suitable  to  be  eaten  with  bread?" 

"The  relation  of  bread  to  our  foods  would  include  the 
whole  system  of  dietaries,  which  should  be  formulated  in 
another  part  of  this  work,  although  it  is  proper  to  remark 
in  this  connection  that  the  cereals  should  form  the  princi- 
pal part  of  our  diet." 

"Why  do  you  say  this?" 

"Because  they  contain  the  necessary  elements  for  sup- 
porting life,  are  less  liable  to  produce  disease,  and  are 
cheaper.  Instead  of  making  meat  or  common  vegetables 
the  principal  part  of  our  diet,  the  bulk  of  our  food  should 
consist  of  the  cereals,  if  too  low  in  fats  and  tissue  forming 
foods,  nuts,  meats,  milk  or  eggs  should  be  added  to  suffi- 
ciently increase  the  nitrogenous  and  fattening  elements." 

"How  much  meat  should  one  ordinarily  eat  per  day,  if 
the  principal  part  of  the  diet  be  cereals?" 

"The  ordinary  estimate  for  a  person  weighing  150 
pounds  requires  about  8  ounces  of  lean  beef  to  supply  the 
necessary  amount  of  tissue  forming  food.  At  least  ^  of 
of  this  amount  would  be  furnished  by  a  cereal  diet,  so 
that   2   ounces   of   lean  meat  will  supply  a  fair  average 


80  BREAD  WITH   OTHER   FOODS 

for  amount  of  meat  needed,  exclusive  of  fat;  but  if  entire 
wheat  bread  be  used,  with  either  milk,  nuts  or  legumes, 
meat  will  not  be  necessary,  except  in  disease." 

"Doctor,  what  foods  are  incompatible  with  the  ce- 
reals?" 

"Acids  of  any  kind  are  incompatible  with  starch.  This 
is  especially  true  of  vinegar,  and  it  is  not  advisable  to  eat 
rhubarb  and  fruits  that  are  strongly  acid  at  the  same  time 
that  starches  are  eaten.  They  should  be  taken  long 
enough  before  the  meal  or  a  half  hour  or  so  after  the 
starches,  but  if  no  meat  is  eaten  at  all,  no  kind  of  acids 
should  be  taken  at  a  meal  composed  mostly  of  the 
cereals." 

"Does  this  same  rule  apply  to  sugar  also.?" 

•'Not  as  a  general  principal,  but  the  fact  that  sugar  is 
quickly  converted  into  acid,  makes  it  objectionable  for 
those  who  have  weak  stomachs.  It  is  almost  certain  to 
start  an  abnormal  fermentation." 


CHAPTHR  VII. 
OATS. 

"Doctor,  are  there  any  other  cereals  used  for  making 
bread?" 

"Not  to  any  extent.  Buckwheat  is  used  for  making 
pancakes  and  oatmeal  for  crackers.  In  the  tropical 
regions,  there  are  fruits  that  are  used  for  bread,  but  a 
discussion  of  these  would  be  of  no  practical  value.  The 
cereal  of  the  greatest  food  value  next  to  wheat  and  corn, 
or  perhaps  second  to  wheat  only,  is  oats." 

"I  notice  that  some  people  can't  praise  oatmeal  too 
highly,  while  others  condemn  it.  Perhaps  you  can  clear 
up  and  explain  these  differences?" 

"I  think  I  can.  Its  food  value  has,  so  far  as  I  know, 
never  been  overestimated." 

"How  is  it  then  that  there  is  such  a  conflict  of 
opinion  about  it?" 

"I  can  explain  that.  Oatmeal  has  a  rough  coat,  and 
there  is  an  occasional  person  whose  membranes  are  so 
sensitive  they  cannot  eat  any  food  that  has  any  irritating 
waste  matter.  The  bran  in  any  cereal  either  corn, 
wheat  or  oats,  irritates  the  lining  membranes  of  the 
digestive  organs  and  causes  such  persons  to  have  dia- 
rrhoea, although  as  a  matter  of  fact,  most  diarrhoes  come 
from  constipation." 

"Is  there  any  was  of  overcoming  the  difficulty?" 

"Only  partially  so.  The  oatmeal  when  thoroughly 
cooked,  can  be  easily  strained,  though  this  will  seldom  be 
required  except  for  young  children,  because  most  people 
need  more  bran  or  other  waste  substance  than  they  get." 


82 


OATS 


"But  it  is  said  that  oatmeal  is  pasty  and  sticks  to  the 
stomach  and  is  therefore  hard  to  digest." 

"It  is  rather  difficult  to  get  any  substance  whatever  to 
stick  to  the  stomach,  so  the  trouble  is  not  there." 

"Where  is  it  then?" 

"There  are  two  difficulties.  The  greater  one  is  that 
oatmeal"  is  seldom  cooked  half  enough  and  most 
frequently  not  more  than  one  tenth  enough." 

"Surely,  you  must  be  exaggerating,  Doctor.  The 
cooks  of  the  country  know  more  than  that,  don't  they?" 

"One  would  naturally  think  so,  but  they  do  not.  The 
principles  of  cooking  have  never  been  given  much,  if  any 
attention.  It  has  always  been  merely  an  accidental 
routine  or  a  striving  to  please  the  sense  of  taste.  Most 
cooks  merely  bring  food,  water  and  fat  in  contact  with 
heat,  without  much  thought  about  results.  It  may  be 
palatable  but  most  likely  indigestible.  There  is  a  more 
intelligent  class  who  strive  to  make  food  palatable  without 
much  regard  as  to  whether  or  not  those  who  eat  it  will 
need  the  services  of  a  doctor." 

"  But  all  you  have  said  may  be  very  true,  but  that 
doesn't  explain  why  so  much  cooking  is  necessary." 

"I  have  already  stated  that  the  cereals  contain  more 
starch  than  anything  else.  The  starch  is  incased  in 
tough  cellulose  sacks,  or  cells  and  they  must  be  cooked 
enough  to  burst  them.     This  requires  considerable  time." 

"1  suppose  that  the  partly  cooked  preparation  of  oats 
could  be  cooked  in  a  few  minutes;  at  least,  that's  the  gen- 
eral impression.  If  this  is  a  mistake,  I  will  venture  to 
ask  how  much  time  is  really  necessary  for  proper  cook- 
ing?" 

"The  so-called  steel  rut  oats  require  at  least  three  hours 
cooking,  while  the  rolled  oats  should  not  receive  less  than 
cne  hour,  considerably  more  will  add  to  its  digestibility." 


COOKING  OATMEAL  83 

"But  some  people  say  they  don't  like  it  tiiat  way. 
What  say  you  to  those?" 

"That  is  largely  a  matter  of  habit.  However,  we 
ought  not  to  be  governed  merely  by  what  we  like,  for  we 
might  like  what  our  reason  would  teach  us  was  sure  death, 
which  we  see  exemplified  every  day." 

"But  it  is  urged  that  it  gets  too  thick  when  cooked  a 
long  time." 

"That  can  be  obviated  by  adding  plenty  of  water." 
"What  do  you  call  plenty  of  water,  a  measure  of  oatmeal 
with  an  equal  amount  of  water.?" 

"That's  a  common  way  of  cooking  it,  and  if  it  cooks  too 
dry,  which  it  is  certain  to  do,  they  usually  add  more  water; 
perhaps  repeating  the  same  operation  several  times,  and 
then  when  it  is  served,  you  are  very  likely  to  say  that 
you  don't  care  for  it,  that  it  is  not  a  palatable  dish." 

"What's  wrong  with  the  method  just  described  and  how 
much  water  does  it  take.?" 

"Oatmeal  or  rolled  oats,  is  usually  cooked  in  a  double 
vessel,  the  inner  vessel  floating  in  water.  The  quantity 
of  water  depends  upon  the  weight  of  the  oatmeal,  v/hether 
it  be  loose  or  packed,  and  also  whether  the  vessel  contain- 
ing it  is  open  or  tightly  covered.  If  the  vessel  in  which 
the  meal  is  cooked  is  covered  so  that  no  steam  escapes,  it 
will  ordinarily  be  sulTicientto  add  three  measures  of  water 
to  each  measure  of  oatmeal.  If  the  vessel  be  open  and 
the  atmosphere  dry,  considerable  more  than  three  times 
as  much  water  as  oatmeal  should  be  used  and  always 
enough  to  cook  it  thoroughly  without  adding  any  additional 
water  after  it  begins  to  cook." 

"You  haven't  s  lid  anything  about  whether  hot  or  cold 
water  should  be  used." 

"The  cooks  disagree  on  that  point,  if  hot  water  be 
used,  the  oat  flavor  is  stronger  but  much  more  care  is  re- 


84  REASON  FOR  LONG  COOKING 

quired  in  making.  It  the  oats  is  not  sifted  in  tlie  hot 
water  very  carefully,  it  is  liable  to  be  lumpy.  It  cooks 
more  thoroughly  in  cold  water,  and  this  method  is  prefer- 
able from  a  standpoint  of  digestibility  although  there  is  no 
great  difference." 

"But  why  is  cold  water  better  than  hot?" 

"As  already  explained,  the  starch  cells  must  be  rup- 
tured in  cooking  and  they  will  absoFb  water  more  readily 
if  cold  water  be  used  and  the  heat  gradually  applied." 

"Is  that  the  only  reason  for  cooking  it  so  long?" 

"No.  Intense  heat  applied  to  starch  of  any  kind 
changes  its  chemical  nature;  in  fact,  it  partly  digests  it." 

"Doctor,  I  suppose  that  if  oatmeal  or  rolled  oats  was 
prepared  as  you  have  directed,  it  would  agree  with  every- 
body except  those  who  are  unable  to  eat  any  coarse  food 
at  all?" 

"You  are  wrong.  It  may  be  perfectly  cooked  and  still 
disagree — depends  on  how  it  is  eaten  and  something  on 
the  pecularity  of  the  individual." 

"I  don't  understand  you.  Do  you  mean  it  should  be 
eaten  hot  or  cold,  with  or  without  sugar,  at  the  beginning 
or  the  end  of  a  meal?" 

"Well,  if  proteid  food  (tissue  formers)  are  eaten  with 
starchy  food,  generally  speaking,  the  starch  should  be 
taken  first,  so  that  the  digestion  of  the  starch  will  be  as 
far  advanced  as  possible  before  the  stomach  becomes  acid, 
though  this  is  unimportant.  The  greatest  difficulty  and  ob- 
jection to  all  soft,  starchy  foods  is  that  they  slip  down  too 
easily  when  taken  in  the  mouth.  I  have  already  explained 
that  saliva  contains  a  digestive  agent  or  solvent.  This 
solvent  is  an  important  factor  in  the  digestion  of  starch. 
Now,  if  the  food  is  already  moistened,  there  is  noinclina- 
tion  to  keep  it  in  the  mouth  long  enough  for  the  saliva  to 
be  thorouglily   mixed  with  it.  and  if  it  does  not  receive 


OBJECTION  TO  OATMEAL  85 

this  digestive  agent  in  tlie  nioutli,  it  is  not  digested  until 
it  passes  through  the  stomach;  most  likely  not  at  all." 

"Wouldn't  it  be  a  good  scheme  to  take  a  certain  num- 
ber of  bites  on  each  mouthful?" 

"Yes,  but  rather  hard  to  practice,  but  if  you  will  try  it, 
you  will  be  surprised  at  yourself  when  you  discover  that 
you  have  been  swallowing  your  food  with  so  little  masti- 
cation. Bread  should  receive  from  forty  to  sixty  bites  or 
chews  according  to  its  texture,  on  each  mouthful,  and 
mush  or  porridge  at  least  half  as  many.  Some  people 
prefer  to  eat  some  solid  food  with  their  porridge,  which  of 
course  increases  the  flow  of  saliva  and  makes  it  necessary 
to  retain  the  porridge  in  the  mouth  for  a  greater  length  of 
time.  This  partially  overcomes  the  objection  to  soft 
foods." 

"Have  you  ever  thought  of  any  other  remedy  for  the 
constant  tendency  to  eat  too  rapidly?" 

"Perhaps  where  families  are  good  enough  natured  not 
to  quarrel,  some  system  of  small  fines  or  forfeits  for 
each  one  caught  swallowing  his  food  too  quickly  would 
work  the  best  results." 

"Doctor,  you  have  criticised  almost  everything  pertain- 
ing to  the  preparation  of  oatmeal,  is  there  any  other  reason 
why  it  might  disagree  with  people?" 

"Yes,  when  it  remains  in  stock  too  long  it  becomes 
vormy  and  when  people  are  troubled  with  acid  dyspepsia 
<:hey  should  not  eat  sugar  with  oatmeal  or  for  that  matter, 
with  anything  else.  Oatmeal  has  aboutthe  right  propor- 
tion of  flesh  forming  elements  to  that  of  heat  or  force  pro- 
ducing. Now,  if  sugar  be  added,  the  proportion  of  heat 
or  force  producing  element  becomes  far  too  high  and 
whenever  people  live  on  food  too  rich  in  either  tissue  or 
heat  producing  elements  the  results  will  be  disastrous. 
The  fact  that  people  do  not  know  this  is  one  of  the  prin- 


86  OBJECTIONS  TO  OATMEAL 

.ipal  reasons  why  so  many  become  ill.  They  do  not  have 
their  food  supply  adjusted  to  their  needs.  The  addition 
of  milk  and  cream  to  oatmeal  makes  the  food  well  nigh 
perfect.  The  cream  supplying  fat,  in  which  oatmeal  is 
deficient,  and  milk  increases  the  proportion  of  tissueform- 
ing  food  and  supplies  some  of  the  necessary  mineral  mat- 
ter, which  is  particularly  important  for  growing  children." 

"But,  Doctor,  most  people  think  oatmeal  unpalatable 
without  sugar." 

"That  is  also  a  habit.  If  they  would  eat  it  a  few  times 
without  sugar,  they  would  prefer  it  that  way." 

"But  suppose  they  don't  like  it  at  all.  You  know  there 
are  many  people  who  care  very  little  for  cereals  of  an}- 
kind." 

"That  is  true,  and  is  a  matter  which  needs  careful  con- 
sideration. Much  of  the  dislike  as  already  indicated,  re- 
sults from  improper  cooking,  and  a  dislike  formed  in  this 
way  is  exceedingly  hard  to  overcome.  It  sometimes  hap- 
pens that  by  the  addition  of  fruit  flavors,  what  would 
otherwise  be  unpalatable,  is  highly  relished.  Then,  there 
are  other  ways.  For  people  who  like  eggs,  a  very  palat- 
able dish  can  be  made  by  stirring  a  raw  egg  into  a  dish  of 
hot  oatmeal." 

"Doctor,  I  notice  that  some  people  say  that  oatmeal  is 
a  very  rich  food  and  that  children  should  not  eat  it;  that 
it  is  only  suitable  for  those  who  exercise  a  good  deal  in 
the  open  air." 

"It  is  rather  difficult  to  see  upon  whatsuch  a  statement 
could  be  based.  The  heat  of  the  body  must  be  kf  pt  up 
by  some  means,  and  starch,  in  which  oatmeal  abounds,  is 
the  least  concentrated  of  heat  producing  foods.  Sugar 
and  fat  both  requiring  much  more  air  andexercise  for 
their  ox  idation  than  starch;  it  follows  that  the  charge  that 
oatmeal  is  too  rich  cannot  be  sustained." 


WHEN  OATMEAL  NOT  SUITABLE  8; 

"Hovv  is  oatmeal  tor  old  people,  or  those  of  sedentary 
habits?" 

"Old  people  or  persons  who  do  not  take  much  exercise, 
need  food  containing  a  larger  proportion  of  tissue  forming 
elements.  This  is  especially  true  if  they  happen  to  be 
fat." 

"Then  the  force  producing  food,  is  also  fat  forming  and 
those  people  who  are  already  too  fat,  don't  need  fattening 
food?" 

"That  is  only  true  to  a  limited  extent.  No  one  can  live 
for  a  long  period  without  some  fat  forming  food,  but 
people  who  are  vt-ry  corpulent  need  much  less  than 
others." 

"Is  there  any  known  reason  for  this?" 

Yes.  Layers  of  fat  keep  the  heat  in  the  body,  so  that 
a  fat  person  needs  much  less  heat  forming  food.  Old 
people  who  are  fat  and  sluggish  need  very  little  starchy 
food,  but  for  active  mechanics,  farmers,  laborers  and 
growing  children,  oatmeal  should  form  a  considerable  por- 
tion of  their  diet." 

"Doctor,  are  there  any  other  conditions  in  which  oat- 
meal should  not  be  eaten  for  food." 

"Yes.  In  case  of  diahrroea  or  any  inflamed  condition 
of  the  bowels,  no  coarse  food  should  be  eaten." 

"Doctor,  it's  a  common  practice  of  many  people  to  eat 
fruit  before  breakfast,  especially  oranges,  and  then  eat 
oatmeal,  is  this  right?" 

"No  indeed!  Oatmeal  being  principally  starch,  requires 
an  alkaline  medium  for  digestion.  It  ordinarily  receives 
very  little  because  it  is  swallowed  so  quickly  and  then  if 
acid  be  added,  there  can  be  no  digestion  until  it  passes 
through  the  stomach,  with  a  chance  that  it  will  not  be 
digested  at  all." 

'What  foods  are  suitable  to  eat  with  oatmeal." 


88  ACIDS  AND    OATMEAL 

"No  foods  containing  any  considerable  quantity  of  acid 
should  be  eaten  for  at  least  half  an  liour  afterwards. 
This  of  course  would  exclude  sour  fruits,  pickles  or  any 
dish  on  which  vinegar  is  used.  As  to  other  foods,  that 
would  of  coarse  depend  largely  upon  other  conditions. 
One  working  in  the  timber  with  very  severe  labor,  with 
temperature  say  20  below  zero,  could  well  eat  a  greatdeal 
of  fat  and  sugar  as  well  as  meat  with  oatmeal,  while  those 
who  are  corpulent  and  take  but  little  exercise,  would  re- 
quire food  containing  less  starch  or  heat  producers,  ^nd 
more  tissue  forming  food;  such  as  wheat  gluten,  pea"., 
beans,  milk,  eggs,  lean  meat,  oysters  and  cheese." 

"Doctor,  I  suppose  most  of  the  barley  that  is  consumed 
is  taken  in  the  form  of  lager  beer." 

"Not  altogether  so.  Barley  is  used  extensively  for 
thickening  soups." 

"What  are  its  properties.? 

Well,  barley  is  mostly  starch,  perhaps  8  times  as  much 
starch  as  gluten.  It  is  also  rich  in  mineral  matter.  Before 
wheat  became  so  universally  cultivated,  barley  was  a 
very  important  food,  but  now  the  only  form  known  to  the 
trade  is  that  of  pearl  barley.  It  requires  much  cooking 
and  in  this  respect  it  is  very  similiar  to  oats  and  wheat. 
There  is  still  another  use  for  barley  and  that  is  barley 
water.  This  is  used  extensively  as  a  drink  in  cases  of 
fevers,  also  useful  for  infants  or  invalids.  It  is  made  as 
follows:  Grind  half  an  ounce  of  pearl  barley  in  a  coffee 
mill,  add  6  ounces  of  water,  boil  30  minutes,  add  salt  and 
strain.  It  should  be  made  fresh  daily  and  kept  in  a  cooi 
place.  Another  preparation  of  barley  more  used  as  a 
medicine  than  food,  is  malt." 

''What  is  the  process  for  making  malt?" 

"Malt  is  made  by  applying  a  considerable  degree  of  mois- 
ture  to  the   barley  and  allowing  it  to  remain  in  a  room 


BARLEY  ^9 

heated  sufficiently  warm  to  cause  the  grain  to  germinate. 
It  is  then  dried  by  different  degrees  of  heat  according  to 
the  use  for  which  it  is  intended.  During  the  germinating 
period,  a  digestive  agent  known  as  diastase  is  formed. 
This  is  both  a  medicine  and  a  food  and  is  used  to  great 
advantage  in  diseases  of  the  digestive  organs  where  the 
chief  difficulty  is  the  digestion  of  starch. 


CHAPTER  Vlll. 
POTATOES. 

"How  did  the  Irish  potato  get  its  name?" 

'i  do  not  know.  It  was  introduced  into  the  Old  World 
from  the  New  by  Sir  Walter  Raleigh  and  probably  because 
it  became  so  extensively  cultivated  in  Ireland  (forming  a 
large  part  of  the  daily  diet  of  the  people)  the  name  of  Irish 
potato  was  given  it." 

"What  are  the  properties  of  the  potato.?" 

"The  principal  part  of  the  potato  is  starch.  It  contains 
some  waste  material,  and  compared  with  other  foods,  a 
considerable  amount  of  mineral  matter,  principally  pot- 
ash." 

"How  does  the  starch  of  a  potato  compare  with  that  of 
other  foods.''" 

"Very  favorably.  It  is  very  similar  to  that  o{  Indian 
corn  but  is  not  so  fine  as  that  of  rice." 

"Is  there  any  advantage  in  the  starch  granules  being 
very  fine.-'" 

"Yes,  the  finer  the  starch  granules  the  more  easily 
digested,  although  that  might  not  always  be  an  advan- 
tage. The  tissue  forming  part  of  a  potato  is  very  small, 
exclusive  of  the  water  the  proteid  or  tissue  forming  ele- 
ment is  not  much  more  than  one  twentieth  of  the  solid 
matter.  It  will  be  readily  seen  from  this,  that  the  potato 
contains  three  or  four  times  too  high  a  ratio  of  heat  pro- 
ducing food  to  that  of  the  tissue  formers.  It  is  essentially 
a  fat  forming  or  heat  producing  food." 

"Is  this  all  it  has  to  recommend  it.'^" 

"It  is  not.     Potato  has  special  uses.     It  has  in  addition 


92  FRIED  POTATOES 

to  the  potash  salts  a  small  amount  of  citric  acid.  This  is 
of  but  little  importance  of  itself  but  the  mineral  matter 
altogether  makes  one  of  the  best  antiscorbutics  known. 
By  this  is  meant  a  food  which  counteracts  certain  diseases 
resulting  from  continual  use  of  salted  foods  especially  salt 
meats.  The  disease  is  seldom  known  outside  of  prisons 
and  ships.  At  an  earlier  day,  when  voyages  covered  a  pe- 
riod of  several  months  scurvy  was  no  uncommon  disease 
on  shipboard.  It  would  seem  only  natural  to  associate 
the  potato  because  of  its  potash  salts  with  salted  meats." 
"Are  there  any  other  uses  of  the  potato?" 
"It  is  possible  that  the  salts  of  the  potato  are  useful  in 
keeping  the  blood  alkaline.  Theoretically  the  potato  ought 
to  be  very  valuable  in  all  genito-urinary  inflammations, 
where  it  is  desirable  that  the  urinary  secretions  be  kept 
alkaline." 

"What  about  the  digestibility  of  the  potato?" 
"If  baked  or  boiled  until  mealy,  it  is  quite  digestible.    If 
solid,  or  known  as  watery,  the  starch  grains  do  not  sepa- 
rate easily  and  is  therefore  rather  indigestible." 

"Then,  this  would  indicate  that  fried  potatoes  are  not 
wholesome?" 

"If  previously  boiled  and  allowed  to  become  cold  and 
solid  and  theti  fried,  as  is  usually  done,  they  are  not  easily 
digested  and  not  wholesome  food,  because  being  some- 
what soft  and  waxy,  they  are  swallowed  in  lumps  and  do 
not  dissolve  readily." 

"Would  not  potato  chips  be  still  worse?" 
"I  hardly  think  so,  being  crisp  they  are  much  less  likely 
to  be  swallowed  without  mastication.  Besides,  frying 
them  brown,  dextrinizes  the  starch  and  if  ground  up  fme 
enough  in  mastication,  potato  chips  should  be  fairly 
digestible." 

"Don't  the  fat  make  them,  in  a  measure  indiojestible?" 


METOHDS  OF  COOKING  POTATOES  93 

"I  am  glad  you  asked  that  question,  which  would  apply 
to  many  other  foods  but  not  to  same  extent  to  the  potato, 
as  both  fats  and  starches  are  digested  in  the  intestines 
and  not  in  the  stomach  (further  than  what  they  are  acted 
upon  by  the  saliva),  thefat  would  not  therefore  prevent 
digestion  in  the  stomach  as  it  would  with  fried  meat  or 
fried  eggs.  It  would  seem  therefore  that  potatoes  would 
be  a  good  vehicle  for  the  administration  of  fats.  Usually 
fried  potatoes  are  not  sufficiently  masticated  and  are  a 
common  cause  of  indigestion." 

"Doctor,  new  potatoes  are  reputed  to  be  the  source  of 
many  digestive  disturbances;  is  this  true,  and  if  so,  why 
is  it?" 

"I  suppose  it  is  in  a  measure  true.  New  potatoes  are 
waxy  and  not  easily  dissolved.  They  might  readily 
cause  an  irritation  by  remaining  in  the  stomach  too  long, 
because  they  are  in  a  degree  insoluble.  At  any  rate,  new 
potatoes  are  not  a  desirable  article  of  food,  and  it  is  a  great 
deal  safer  for  people  in  good  health  not  to  eat  them  at  all 
or  at  least  very  sparingly." 

"What  is  the  best  way  to  cook  potatoes.  Doctor?" 

"The  method  to  be  preferred  above  all  others,  is  bak 
ing.  Boiling  is  also  a  very  good  method,  but  if  cooked 
this  way,  it  is  better  to  boil  them  with  their  skins  on  than 
to  peel  them.  They  should  be  put  in  cold  water  and  the 
temperature  gradually  increased.  The  third  method  is 
frying  a  potato  in  thin,  crisp  slices,  known  as  potato 
chips,  but  as  some  people  will  not  tolerate  fat,  frying 
would  be  objectionable  to  those." 

"Then  you  are  not  a  great  enemy  to  the  frying  pan. 
Doctor?" 

"I  am  very  sorry  to  give  anyone  that  impression,  be- 
cause the  frying  pan  is  one  of  the  greatest  enemies  of  the 
human  race.     Potatoes  are  about  the  only  thing  that  is 


94  DEFICIENCY  OF  POTATOES 

permissible  to  fry  at  all,  and  this  is  only  allov\'able  for 
people  in  good  health  who  will  thoroughly  masticate  them 
in   eating." 

"Doctor,  I  perceive  you  do  not  rate  the  Irishman's 
friend  as  highly  as  some  people.  I  apprehend  that  you 
will  be  severe  on  potato  salad.?" 
I  "Well,  I  can't  conceive  of  salad  without  vinegar,  and 
,'  vinegar  and  potatoes  are  about  as  incompatible  as  dogs 
and  cats.  Potatoes  require  an  alkaline  medium  for  diges- 
tion, while  vinegar  is  a  fermented  acid." 

"Doctor,  you  have  said  that  potatoes  are  deficient  in 
tissue  forming  substance,  it  would  seem  natural  to  connect 
them  with  meat.!"' 

,  "Yes,  the  fact  that  potatoes  are  deficient  in  proteid  and 
also  in  fat  has  led  certain  writers  of  large  imagination  to 
declare  that  the  Irishman  inseparably  connects  the  pig 
and  the  potato,  while  the  only  necessary  relation  is  the 
ease  with  which  both  can  be  raised.  Many  people  get 
along  very  well  who  live  principally  on  meat  and  pota- 
toes, but  eggs  and  butter  or  any  other  combination  of  fat 
,and  tissue  food  would  probably  do  just  as  well  to  balance 
[the  defects  of  the  potato  as  meat.  People  who  live  prin- 
jcipally  on  potatoes  have  soft  flesh  and  little  endurance." 
'■      "Are  there  any  other  uses  for  the  potato.?" 

"Starch  is  manufactured  from  it  extensively,  both  for 
food  and  for  laundry  purposes.  Various  fancy  names  are 
given  to  potato  starch  for  the  purpose  of  selling  it.  It  is 
very  similar  to  starch  preparations  of  corn  and  is  equally 
wholesome  and  valuable  for  food." 

"To   what  do  you  ascribe  the  universal  popularity  of 
'   the  potato.?" 

"Its  cheapness  and  the  ease  with  which  it  is  raised,  f 
gether  with  the  variety  of  ways  in  which  it  can  be  quickly 
cooked.    These  iacts  force   its  use  until  eating  potat; -S 


SWEET  POTATO  95 

has  become  a  fixed  habit  with  the  people,  just  for  the 
same  reason  that  where  rice  is  easily  raised,  it  is  univer- 
sally used  as  an  indispensable  food." 

"Then  you  don't  think  much  of  the  potato?" 

"That  conclusion  is  not  warranted  in  anything  I  have 
said,  because  the  potato  is  really  a  valuable  food,  but 
not  equal  to  the  cereals.  It  should,  therefore,  have  a 
minor  place  in  our  dietaries  and  1  can  not  urge  an  extended 
use  of  it." 

"How  does  the  sweet  potato  compare  with  the  Irish 
potato.?" 

"Many  people  prefer  the  sweet  potato.  That  is  doubt- 
less because  it  issweet.  Unlike  the  common  potato  it  re- 
quires a  warm  climate  and  thrives  best  in  tropical  or  semi- 
tropical  countries." 

"In  what  way  does  it  differ  from  the  common  potato?" 

"It  contains  less  starch  but  a  large  per  cent  of  sugar 
and  gum.  It  is  also  more  solid  and  stringy  and  requires 
much  longer  time  to  cook." 

*'I  suppose  you  would  call  it  a  rich  food?" 

"Yes,  it  is  both  rich  and  heavy,  for  its  particles  do 
not  separate  so  easily  as  most  other  starchy  foods." 

"What  use  has  it  as  a  food?" 

"It  certainly  makes  a  very  cheap  food  in  warm  climates. 
It  is  said  that  in  South  Florida  they  need  not  plant  them 
but  once.  h\  diggirig  up  a  row  of  sweet  potatoes,  they 
cover  a  portion  of  the  vines  between  the  rows  and  keep 
them  growing  perpetually  in  that  way.  Owing  to  the 
fact  of  its  large  percentage  of  sugar,  as  well  as  starch, 
it  is  a  great  heat  producer  and  would  be  a  food  suit:ible 
for  persons  of  good  digestion  doing  hard  physical  labor." 

"Dojtor,  I  suppose  that  more  people  live  on  rice  than 
any  other  article  of  food?" 


96  RICE 

"That  is  true.  It  is  estimated  that  one  third  the  people 
of  the  world  live  principally  upon  rice.  In  the  United 
States,  its  use  has  never  been  so  near  universal  as  its 
merits  deserve." 

"What  particular  value  has  it.-*" 

"It  contains  all  the  necessary  elements  for  supporting 
life,  but  some  in  too  small  proportion.  It  is  not  so  rich  in 
tissue  forming  food  as  wheat  or  oats,  and  it  is  urged  that 
because  of  this  deficiency,  the  rice  eating  people  are  not 
so  well  developed  physically  as  Europeans  or  Americans. 
It  is  also  claimed  that  they  do  not  so  readily  recover  from 
an  injury  or  a  disease  as  those  who  live  on  a  diet  contain- 
ing more  of  tissue  forming  elements.  To  offset  this,  rice 
is  very  easily  digested,  has  the  finest  starch  cells  and  is 
altogether  a  desirable  food." 

"Are  the  rice  eating  people  more  healthy  than  we?" 

"They  are  at  least  free  from  some  of  the  diseases  due 
to  excessive  consumption  of  meat,  because  it  is  extremely 
difficult  to  overlo:d  the  system  on  a  rice  diet,  although 
one  might  become  too  corpulent." 

"How  does  rice  compare  with  potatoes?" 

"Rice  is  far  superior  as  an  article  of  food  for  ordinary 
use  to  potatoes,  although  potatoes  are  much  preferred  in 
this  country." 

"From  this,  1  conclude  that  the  principal  objection  to 
rice  is  that  people  do  not  like  it?" 

"Yes,  that  is  a  serious  difficulty.  People  like  what 
they  are  brought  up  on,  and  the  matter  of  eating  different 
foods  is  largely  one  of  habit.  It  is  supposed  that  potatoes 
are  much  cheaper  than  rice,  yet  if  we  estimate  potatoes 
atone  cent  per  pound,  and  rice  at  six  the  difference  would 
be  very  small.  Potatoes  contain  about  seventy-six  per 
cent  of  water,  so  that  one  pound  of  rice  is  equal  to  about 


RICE,  FLAVORING  97 

four  or  five  pounds  of  potatoes,  and  if  the  waste  in  peel- 
ing be  deducted,  considerably  more  would  be  required  to 
equal  a  pound  of  rice,  so  that  people  who  have  both  to 
buy,  rice  at  some  seasons  would  actually  be  the  cheaper 
of  the  two." 

"How  can  the  dislike  for  it  be  overcome.-"' 

"That  must  be  done  by  cooking  and  flavoring.  Differ- 
ent people  like  different  flavors  and  individual  taste  should 
be  considered.  If  nutmeg  is  agreeable,  it  may  be  added 
so  that  it  changes  the  taste  of  the  rice  and  makes  it  pal- 
atable." 

"How  about  rice  pudding,  doctor?" 

"Well,  instead  of  having  rice  pudding  occasionally  for 
desert  it  would  be  better  to  frequently  make  it  a  consid- 
erable portion  of  the  meal,  and  by  varying  the  methods 
of  cooking  and  flavoring,  the  habit  of  eating  rice  could  be 
as  well  established  as  that  of  potatoes.  This  would  avoid 
the  necessity  for  much  of  the  meat  or  eggs  ordinarily 
consumed,  and  insure  much  greater  freedom  from  disease." 


CHAPTER  IX. 

PEAS,  BEANS  AND  LENTILS,  KNOWN  AS  LEGUMES. 

"Doctor,  of  the  foods  discussed  so  far,  the  starchy  ele- 
ment seems  to  predominate,  and,  with  the  exception  of 
wheat  and  oats,  the  per  cent  of  starch  is  much  too  high 
for  perfect  foods.  Are  there  no  vegetable  foods  contain- 
ing a  large  per  cent  of  tissue  forming  substances?" 

''That  question  is  answered  by  peas,  beans  and  lentils. 
These  are  different  varieties  of  the  same  species,  or  at 
least  have  very  similar  properties." 

"Some  have  urged  that  beans  should  be  substituted  for 
potatoes.     What  do  you  think  of  the  idea.?" 

"It  is  scarcely  to  be  compared  with  the  potato  in  any 
way,  and  has  no  such  use,  but  it  is  used  by  vegetarians 
to  a  great  extent  as  a  substitute  for  meat,  and  to  better 
understand  them,  we  give  the  following  table  of  analysis: 

Water       Protein    Fat    Heat  Producers  Mineral  Waste 

Butter  Beans  14.84 
Peas  (dried)  14.31 
Lentils  12.51 

String  Beans  87.2 
Green  Peas  78.1 
It  will  be  seen  that  the  variety  known  as  butter  beans, 
or  Lima  beans,  has  the  largest  per  cent  of  tissue  formers. 
That  is,  its  relation  to  starch  is  greater  than  one  to  three. 
Peas  and  lentils  are  very  similar  in  composition,  only 
containing  a  little  higher  percentage  of  starch  than  but- 
ter beans." 

"Is  this  for  ^oung  peas  and  string  beans  or  the  dried.?" 
"Well,  young  peas  have  still  higher  per  cent  of  tissue 


23.66  1.63 

49.25 

3.15 

22.65  1.72 

53.24 

2.65 

5.45 

24.81  1.85 

54.78 

2.47 

4.58 

2.2       A 

9.4 

.8 

4.4     1.7 

16. 

.6 

100  PEAS  AND  BEANS 

forming  food  than  the  drit^d,  that  is,  the  starch   develops 
in  ripening  more  than  the  nitrogen." 

"How  do  they  compare  with  wheat  gluten?" 

**The  per  cent  of  starch  is  about  the  same  proportion 
to  the  tissue  forming  substance  in  young  peas  as  wheat 
germs,  but  it  is  not  known  as  gluten  but  as  vegetable 
casein." 

"Which  is  the  more  easily  digested.?" 

"The  gluten  is  far  more  easily  digested  because  not  so 
tough  and  the  particles  are  more  easily  separated." 

"Then  this  must  be  much  against  them  as  an  article  of 
food.?" 

"Not  necessarily  so.  While  it  is  an  objection  for  per- 
sons having  weak  stomachs,  it  may  be  of  decided  advant- 
age to  others." 

"I  don't  understand  that." 

"Well,  exercise  of  any  kind  has  a  tendency  to  develop 
strength,  at  the  same  time,  what  would  be  suitable  labor 
for  a  person  that  was  strong  might  easily  cause  the  death 
of  one  that  was  weak.  The  same  principle  applies  to 
the  digestive  organs.  No  food  so  difificult  of  digestion  as 
peas  and  beans  should  be  given  to  those  persons  who 
have  weak  stomachs." 

"Then  1  suppose  this   is  the  reason    why   we   should 
continually  have  in  mind  the  digestibility  of  food." 
f      "Yes,  like  exercise,  it  must  be  adapted  to  the   strength 
or  the  ability  of  the  individual;    otherwise,  our   purposes 
would  be  defeated." 

"Then  where  does  the  utility  of  foods  difficult  of  di- 
gestion come  in." 

"A  laborer  of  keen  appetite  and  good  digestion  will  he 
continually  hungry  if  nothing  but  easily  digested  food  be 


DIGESTIBILITY  .  101 

consumed,  for  such  persons  the  legumes  are  particu- 
larly adapted." 

"A  great  many  people  say  that  peas  and  beans  cause 
flatulence." 

"No  doubt  that  is  true.  In  addition  to  being  tough 
and  in  a  measure  insoluble,  there  is  a  tough  envelope 
covering  the  pea  and  the  bean  which  is  quite  similar  to 
the  bran  found  in  unbolted  cornmeal." 

"What  effect  has  the  tough  envelope  of  the  pea  or 
bean  on  digestion." 

"it  is  a  very  great  factor  in  the  disturbances  common 
to  their  use,  for  it  cannot  be  digested  at  all;  consequently 
people  who  have  weak  stomachs  will  suffer  more  or  less 
derangement  because  the  pod  or  envelope  retards  diges- 
tion and  prevents  the  food  leaving  the  stomach  as  quick- 
ly as  it  should.  This  causes  abnormal  fermentation,  and 
makes  the  gaseous  discharges  for  which  they  are  most 
unfavorably  known." 

••Doctor,  is  there  any  remedy  for  this.?" 

"In  a  measure,  yes.  Grinding  to  a  fine  flour  is  a  great 
aid  for  it  not  only  reduces  the  tough  covering  to  a  moder- 
ately fine  particle,  but  it  also  separates  the  various  in- 
gredients and  makes  them  much  more  digestible." 

"Is  this  the  only  remedy.?" 

"No,  there  is  another  way  of  getting  rid  of  the  difficul- 
ty, and  that  is  to  boil  six  or  eight  hours  and  strain  through 
a  fine  collander." 

"What  place  should  the  legumes  have  in  our  dietaries?" 

"It  should  have  a  very  important  place,  especially 
among  working  people,  also  those  who  have  fairly  good 
health  but  occasionally  have  sick  headaches,  asthma, 
rheumatism  and  other  ailments  due  to  uric  acid." 

"Then  you  would  substitute  peas,  beans  and  lentils  to 


102  OBJECTIONS  TO  PEAS  AND  BEANS 

a  considerable  extent  for  meat  because  they  are  more 
healtliful?" 

"Not  that  alone,  although  health  is  the  first  considera- 
tion. They  are  much  cheaper  than  meat,  although  they 
do  not  furnish  all  the  fat  necessary  for  a  perfect  diet." 

"Is  it  not  true  that  starch  makes  fat?  if  so,  why  is  it 
not  a  perfect  substitute  for  fat,  or  oils?" 

"Theoretically,  that  would  seem  to  be  true,  but  prac- 
tically it  is  only  a  substitute  to  a  limited  extent,  for  it  has 
been  found  that  some  fat  is  absolutely  necessary  to 
maintain  good  health." 

"What  foods  are  compatible  with  peas?" 

"Well,  as  they  contain  a  large  amount  of  vegetable 
casein — tissue  forming  food — no  h  an  meat  of  any  kind 
such  as  beef,  chicken,  mutton,  fi.-h  or  even  eggs  should 
be  eaten  at  the  same  time  if  any  considerable  part  of  the 
meal  is  made  up  of  either  peas  or  beans." 

"What  will  be  the  result  if  they  are?" 

"An  excess  or  nitrogenous  of  tissue  forming  food, 
which  will  be  more  than  the  stomach  can  properly  digest 
and  the  system,  especially  the  kidneys,  will  be  burdened 
to  throw  off  the  excess.  It  should  be  borne  in  mind  by 
all  persons  that  an  excess  of  tissue  forming  food  is  not  so 
easily  disposed  of  as  either  starches  or  fats,  and  those, 
who  habitually  eat  an  excess  of  this  class  of  food  will 
quickly  become  what  is  known  as  bilious.  There  are 
many  derangements  of  the  system  resulting  from  this 
condition  that  cannot  be  enumerated  under  this  heading." 

"What  effect  has  acids  on  peas  or  beans?" 

"Unlike  starch,  which  is  incompatible  with  acids,  the 
digestion  of  peas,  beans,  or  lentils,  is  aided  by  any  of  the 
ordinary  acids." 

"Then  fruits  may  be  eaten  with  them?" 


ACID  WITH  BEANS  10? 

"Yes,  acid  fruits,  vegetables,  cereals,  buttrr,  cream 
and  bacon,  but  no  lean  meats." 

"What  would  be  a  sufficient  quantity  of  beans  for  one 
meal?" 

"Well,  a  saucer  full  weighing  4  to  6  ounces,  would 
furnish  sufficient  amount  of  tissue  forming  food  for  ordi- 
nary conditions  without  any  meat  or  eggs." 

"Doctor,  you  have  forgotten  to  mention  bean  soup, 
have  you  not.?" 

"That  is  a  good  way  to  use  the  legumes.  They  shriuld 
be  boiled  for  several  hours  and  then  strained.  Beans 
make  a  wholesome  delicious  soup  in  many  respects,  su- 
perior to  meat  soups,  especially  for  those  persons  who 
are  subject  to  uri:  acid  diseases,  such  as  sick  headache, 
but  soups  should  be  avoided  by  persons  of  slow  digestion 
or  where  there  is  dilatation  of  stomach." 

"How  about  young  string  beans.^*" 

"They  are  good  if  chopped  fine  enough  so  that  the 
strings  are  not  harmful;  otherwise  the  toughfibrous  threads 
interfere  with  digestion  in  the  stomach  and  obstruct  the 
intestines.  For  constipation  there  is  nothing  better 
among  all  the  garden  vegetables  than  string  beans." 

"Doctor  what  can  you  say  about  the  properties  of  as- 
paragus.?" 

"It  is  a  vegetable  that  is  used  early  in  the  season  as 
the  ycung  tender  shoots  first  put  forth.  It  is  quite  simi- 
lar to  peas  in  flavor  and  is  much  prized  by  many  people." 

"In  what  way  is  it  different  from  peas,  Doctor.?" 

"It  contains  several  properties  not  found  in  peas  and 
has  some  medicinal  properties.  In  composition,  it  is  pe- 
culiar to  itself,  and  while  it  contains  a  high  proportion  ol 
tissue  forming  substance  as  compared  with  heat  produc- 
}*'r.  it  contains  so  large  a  per  cent  of  water  (over  i- 3),     t 


104  ASPARAGUS 

does  not  amount  to  a  great  deal  as  a  food.  In  addition  to 
the  elements  named,  it  contains  gum,  alittle  sugar,  resin, 
stringy  fibers,  asparagine,  acetate,  malate.  phosphate  and 
muriate  of  potash  and  lime,  and  nitrate  of  iron.  It  is  di- 
uretic, and  is  said  to  be  somewhat  irritating  to  the  mucus 
membranes.  Its  effects  and  the  reason  for  them  are  not 
very  well  known,  but  are  supposed  to  result  from  the 
mineral  substances  set  free  during  the  process  of  digestion. 
It  is  usually  eaten  on  toast." 

"Doctor,  what  are  the  properties  of  Arrow  Root  and 
where  does  it  come  from.?" 

"Arrow  Root  is  a  starch  extracted  from  a  tuber  that 
grows  in  the  West  Indies,  principally  Bermuda.  The 
tubers  are  washed,  dried,  and  then  pulverized,  and  are 
nearly  pure  starch." 

"Has  it  any  particular  uses.?" 

"Yes,  it  is  easy  to  prepare,  keeps  longer  than  corn  or 
potato  starch,  is  a  bland  non-irritating  substance  and  is 
much  used  for  convalescents  and  in  infant  foods.  Where 
there  is  inflamation  of  the  stomach  and  the  bowels  are 
not  affected,  such  preparations  as  Arrow  Root  and  those 
of  a  kindred  nature  are  of  great  value,  because  they  give 
the  stomach  almost  complete  rest  and  yet  furnish  some- 
thing on  which  to  sustain  life.  It  is  not  suitable  for  in- 
fants under  8  months  of  age;  in  fact,  no  solid  food  or 
starches  of  any  kind  should  be  given  children  until  after 
they  are  eight  or  ten  months  old." 

"What  is  tapioca?" 

"Tapioca  is  very  similar  to  arrowroot.  It  is  made  from 
a  plant  known  as  manihot,  which  grows  in  Brazil,  Cen- 
tral and  other  South  American  countries,  also  in  the  West 
Indies  and  Africa." 

"Is  it  much  used  in  these  countries?" 


TAPIOCA  SAGO  105 

"Yes,  a  flour  and  bread  is  made  of  it  and  it  forms   an 
important  part  of  tlie  natives'  diet." 

"What  causes  it's  peculiar  shape,  Doctor?" 
"The  tapioca  of  commerce  takes  its  form  in  consequence 
of  the  method  of  drying  on  hot  plates.     Tlie  heat  used  in 
drying  bursts  the  starch   globule   thereby  making  them 
more  easily  dissolved." 

"What  food  preparations  are  made  of  it?" 
"It  is  used  principally  as  a  gruel  and  for  pudding,  and 
said  to  be  particularly  relished  by  infants  at  weaning.  It 
does  not  sour  as  quickly  as  many  other  starches  and  is  on 
the  whole,  a  very  pleasant  and  nutritious  food,  but  re- 
quires, as  in  fact  all  starches  do,  some  considerable  tissue 
forming  food  or  else  the  diet  will  be  such  as  would  cause 
disease  of  some  kind.  It  is  often  flavored  in  various  ways 
to  add  to  its  palatableness.  Sago  is  another  starchy  food 
very  similar  to  tapioca  and  arrow  root.  It  is  derived 
from  the  pith  found  in  different  varieties  of  palm  in  Java, 
Borneo  and  Sumatra." 

"What  special  preparations  are  madeof  sago.  Doctor?" 
"Sago  milk  is  prepared  by  soaking  an  ounce  of  sago  in 
a  pint  of  cold  water  for  an  hour  or  more  and  then  drain- 
ing  off  the  water  and  adding  one  and  a  half  ounces  of 
milk.  This  is  gradually  heated  until  the  sago  flour  is 
thoroughly  incorporated  with  the  milk.  This  adds  much 
to  the  digestibility  of  the  milk  and  makes  a  valuable  food 
for  persons  recovering  from  fevers  or  other  lingering  ill- 
ness. Sago  gruel  is  made  by  soaking  an  ounce  of  the 
starch  to  each  part  of  cold  water  for  two  hours  then  boil- 
ing for  about  20  minutes.  Sago  does  not  differ  much  from 
either  arrow  root  or  tapioca,  and  the  same  methods  of 
cooking  and  the  same  uses  can  be  applied  to  all." 


106  ICELAND  MOSS 

"What  is  Iceland  Moss?" 

"It  is  a  lichen  sometimes  used  as  a  food.  It  is  made 
into  bread  in  some  countries.  It's  principal  ingredients 
are  gum  and  starch.  It  is  also  used  in  the  food  known  as 
Blanc  Mange.  It  has  been  recommended  by  some  emi- 
nent physicians  as  suitable  for  use  for  diabetics.  Many 
forms  of  sea  weed  and  mosses  are  used  by  the  Japanese 
and  other  people  of  Oriental  countries,  but  very  sparingly 
in  this.  Next  to  potatoes  perhaps  cabbage  is  the  most 
favorably  known  of  all  the  garden  vegetables.  It  is  used 
entirely  in  its  green  state.  No  method  of  preserving  it 
except  in  sour  kraut  has  so  far  as  known  ever  been  at- 
tempted." 

"Of  what  use  is  cabbage,  Doctor?" 

"That  is  rather  difficult  to  answer.  It's  a  vegetable 
that  is  much  relished  by  most  people.  It  contains  about 
93  per  cent  water  and  would  require  a  large  bulk  to 
amount  to  much  as  food.  The  properties  are  not  in  bad 
proportion,  as  the  tissue  forming  elements  being  about  2 
per  cent  are  nearly  one  half  the  heat  producing  element, 
which  is  about  4  per  cent.  Cabbage  contains  the  stringy 
fibers  common  to  many  vegetables,  and  this  is  the  reason 
doubtless  why  it  disagrees  with  many  people.  Boiling  or 
cooking  softens  the  starch  and  other  elements  of  the  cab- 
bage, but  does  not  destroy  the  stringy  fibers." 

"What  harm  do  they  do,  Doctor?" 

"Well,  if  they  are  cooked  until  they  are  soft,  cabbage 
is  likely  to  be  swallowed  in  large  stringy  lumps  as  the 
fibers  or  strings  are  not  easily  dissolved,  and  it  is  very 
likely  to  remain  in  the  stomach  for  a  long  time.  If  chopped 
fine  and  boiled  without  fat  it  is  sometimes  useful.  People 
cook  cabbage  with  fat  meat  and  then  eat  it  strings  and 
all  and  I  suppose  that  is  the  reason  why  so  many   people 


OBJECl  ION  TO  CABBAGE  107 

can  taste  the  cabbage  for  half  a  day  or  a  day  after  eating 
it." 

"Is  there  any  way  of  overcoming  this  difficulty,  Doctor? " 

"The  only  way  it  can  be  overcome  is  by  grinding  it  up 
fine.  It  makes  very  little  difference  whether  it  be  raw  or 
cooked;  if  raw,  it  is  usually  tough  and  not  likely  to  be  ri  - 
duced  to  a  very  fine  powder  and  if  cooked,  it  is  likely  t) 
be  swallowed  strings  and  all.  The  only  thing  that  can 
be  especially  said  in  favor  of  cabbage  is  that  it  is  an  an- 
tiscorbutic, which  makes  it  especially  useful  in  some 
classes  of  diseases.  It  contains  considerable  mineral  mat- 
ter, a  large  part  of  which  is  sulphur  and  if  there  is  any 
malfermentation,  the  sulphur  is  the  cause  of  the  unpleas- 
ant odorous  gases  that  are  produced." 

"What  about  sour  kraut,  Doctor?" 

"Well,  sour  kraut  is  the  most  perfect  representation  of 
indigestible  food  that  is  known." 

•'What  do  you  mean  by  that?" 

"Well,  as  explained  under  the  article  on  digestion,  the 
digestibility  of  any  food  depends  first  upon  its  solubleness 
(how  easily  its  particles  can  be  separated)  and  second, 
upon  how  quickly  it  will  ferment.  Now,  sour  kraut  is  a 
tough,  fibrous  substance,  and  is  extremely  diificult  to  dis- 
solve,while  the  starch  it  contains  is  already  in  a  ferment." 

"Then  according  to  this,  Doctor,  sour  kraut  is  not  a 
desirable  food?" 

"No,  it  is  difficult  to  see  where  any  conditions  would 
arise  that  would  require  sour  krout,  and  the  best  that 
could  be  said  of  it,  is  that  it  is  an  enemy  of  the  human 
family,  although  persons  doing  hard  physical  labor  and 
having  strong  digestion  might  eat  some  of  it  without  in- 
jury. 


108  CAULIFLOWER 

"Cauliflower  is  of  close  kin  to  cabbage  only  more  pal- 
atable, less  stringy  and  altogether  a  more  desirable  food; 
when  boiled,  it  is  fairly  digestible  and  people  in  good 
health  may  eat  it,  but  those  having  a  tendency  to  dys- 
pepsia should  not 'call  for  this  flower.'  As  to  Seakale 
well  bleached,  is  about  equal  to  cauliflower." 

"The  beet  is  a  popular  American  vegetable.  There  are 
two  varieties,  the  one  known  as  ordinary  beets  and.  the 
other  the  sugar  beet.  The  sugar  beets  have  never  been 
extensively  cultivated  in  this  country,  except  for  a  short 
period  in  Nebraska.  In  Europe  the  sugar  beet  is  the 
principal  source  from  which  sugar  is  derived — a  great  deal 
of  which  is  exported  to  this  country.  The  ordinary  beet 
contains  about  90  or  95  per  cent  of  water,  a  little  sugar  and 
a  small  amount  of  other  matter,  not  important  enough  to 
take  much  account  of  as  a  food.  It  is  therefore  almost 
amusing  to  read  the  statement  made  by  a  scholarly  man 
'that  young  tender  beets  are  very  nourishing.'  If  by 
nourishing  is  meant  that  a  half  peck  or  peck  of  them 
would  furnish  enough  sustenance  to  last  a  person  for  a 
day  they  may  be  considered  nourishing." 

"If  there  is  so  little  nourishment  in  them  what  value 
have  they  as  food?" 

"A  great  many  people  are  fond  of  beets.  They  make 
a  very  pleasant  salad  with  vinegar  and  oil,  and  in  that 
way  may  be  used  to  a  limited  extent  as  a  relish,  but  gen- 
erally speaking,  they  have  but  little  value  as  food  and 
they  have  no  other  use  worth  mentioning  except  to  fill 
the  stomach  when  rich  food  is  not  desired. 

"Carrots  are  classed  with  succulent  roots.  They  con- 
tain between  85  and  90  per  cent  of  water,  6  or  7  per  cent 
of  sugar  a  little  nitrogen  and  a  great  deal  of  waste,  which 
we  ordinarily  call  stringy  fiber.     About  the  same  can   be 


BEETS,  CARROTS  109 

said  of  the  carrot  as  of  cabbage.  When  they  are  cooked, 
one  is  likely  to  eat  them  strings  and  all.  There  is  no  ob- 
jection particularly  to  them,  if  sufficient  care  be  taken  to 
guard  against  swallowing  too  much  of  the  stringy  fiber. 
The  effect  of  this  has  already  been  explained." 

"What  can  you  say  of  parsnips.?" 

"The  parsnip  contains  over  90  per  cent  of  water, 
about  2  or  3  per  cent  of  sugar  and  an  equal  quan- 
tity of  starch.  It  has  a  rich  flavor  and  a  large  amount  of 
vegetable  fiber.  It  is  used  extensively  for  stock  food,  but 
some  people  like  the  flavor  very  much  and  when  young 
and  proper  precautions  are  taken  to  guard  against  eating 
the  strings  it  contains,  there  are  no  particular  objections 
to  it." 

"Then  1  suppose  you  would  consider  it  a  wholesome 
food?" 

"Only  for  people  who  are  in  good  health  and  who  do 
hard  labor.  For  persons  of  weak  digestion  it  is  likely  to 
cause  flatulence." 

"I  suppose  you  like  the  turnip  because  it  has  a  "nip" 
at  the  end.?" 

"It  sounds  rather  paradoxical  to  say  that  a  'turnup' 
should  be  turned  down,  although  turnips  are  slightly  more 
nutritious  than  carrots  and  parsnips.  They  contain  about 
85  per  cent  water,  3  per  cent  of  nitrogen,  8  per  cent  of 
starch,  and  some  mineral  matter,  nearly  2  per  cent  of 
woody  fiber." 

"Have  they  any  uses  for  food?" 

"Like  parsnips  and  carrots,  they  might  be  useful  for 
people  who  live  largely  on  meat  and  need  some  coarse 
substance.  It  would  be  far  better  though,  if  we  left 
turnips  for  cattle  and  depended  more  upon  the  cereals 
to  supply  the  waste  matter." 


110  SALSIFY,  KOHLRABI 

"What  can  you  say  of  kohl-rabi?" 

"It  is  an  astringent  vegetable  and  has  no  particular 
value  as  food. 

Salsify,  oyster  plant,  is  a  vegetable,  which  some  people 
prize.  It  is  not  extensively  used  but  has  some  food  value 
and  is  moderately  digestible.  Artichokes  is  a  tuber  simi- 
lar to  that  of  the  carrot,  it  is  usually  known  as  Jerusa- 
lem artichoke.  It  is  said  to  be  a  much  inferior  in  quality 
to  many  other  tubers.  It  is  raised  principally  as  a  food 
for  hogs,  although  it  is  occasionally  used  as  a  food  for 
man." 


CHAPTER   X. 
TOMATOES. 

"Doctor,  would  you  call  the  tomato  a  vegetable  or  a 
fruit?" 

"The  tomato  is  classed  as  a  vegetable,  although  in 
reality  it  is  a  fruit.  It  is  used  much  more  extensively  in 
this  country  than  in  any  other." 

"Is  that  because  it  is  better  known?" 

"Hardly  that,  although  the  tomato  has  not  been  used 
for  as  many  years  as  most  of  the  other  vegetables.  Many 
people  can  remember  when  tomatoes  first  came  into  gen- 
eral use,  and  it  is  probably  not  more  than  25  years  since 
the  modern  varieties  were  introduced." 

"What  properties  has  the  tomato?" 

"Different  analyses  show  different  results,  ranging 
from  89  to  96  per  cent  water,  one  to  two  per  cent  of  tis- 
sue forming  food,  1  per  cent  of  mineral  matter,  and  about 
3  per  cent  sugar,  starch  and  gum,  with  considerable 
wastematerials." 

"Doctor,  I  was  under  the  impression  that  the  tomato 
had  a  great  deal  of  acid  in  it?" 

•'So  it  has;  the  fruit  contains  malic  and  oxalic  acids, 
the  seeds  oxalic  acid,  amounting  to  about  half  of  one  per 
cent." 

"Has  it  any  value  as  a  food?" 

"It  could  hardly  be  called  a  good  food  to  use  continually 
for  several  reasons.  There  is  too  much  acid,  besides  the 
seeds  are  very  objectionable.  They  are  really  sharp  and 
have  a  tendency  to  irritate  the  mucous  membranes." 


112  TOMATOES 

•Ms  there  any.hing  that  you  can  recommend  them  for, 
Doctor?" 

"They  certainly  can  be  recommended  for  their  flavor, 
for  few  vegetables  equal  them  as  an  appetizer  and  under 
some  conditions,  they  also  aid  in  the  digestion  of  proteid  or 
tissue  forming  foods.  This  is  because  of  their  acid. 
They  are  also  slightly  laxative,  due  to  the  effect  of  the 
acids  and  seeds." 

"I  have  heard  people  say  that  they  cause  cancer,  is 
there  anything  in  this  charge? ' ' 

"That  is  nonsense,  but  it  may  have  some  foundation  in 
this;  that  people  do  not  distinguish  between  ulcer 
and  cancer.  The  sharp  acid  that  they  contain  together 
with  the  irritating  seeds,  might  have  a  tendency  to  start 
an  inflammation  in  which  the  seeds  could  collect  and 
cause  an  ulcer,  but  an  ulcer  is  so  widely  different  from  a 
cancer  that  they  have  no  necessary  relation. 

"How  should  tomatoes  be  used?" 

"Tomatoes  may  be  eaten  raw  or  cooked  but  they  are 
really  more  of  a  medicine  than  a  food.  They  should  not 
be  used  at  all  when  there  is  an  acid  condition  of  the  stom- 
ach, and  their  use  is  very  doubtful  for  any  persons  hav- 
ing rheumatism  or  a  tendency  to  the  formation  of  gall 
stones  on  account  of  the  oxalic  acid  in  them.  It  is  better 
for  a  relish  such  as  tomato  catsup  with  the  seeds  removed 
than  for  any  other  purpose.  They  may  be  cooked  and  if 
so,  should  only  be  stewed  in  earthen  or  porcelain  vessels, 
never  coming  in  contact  with  any  kind  of  metal.  Canned 
tomatoes  are  sometimes  bad  on  account  of  solder  or  poorly 
tinned  cans  leaving  acid  to  come  in  contact  with  the  iron, 
which  makes  a  dangerous  compound.  No  tin  cans  should 
be  used  but  once,  and  it  would  be  far  better  and  safer  if 
tomatoes  were  canned  in  glass  or  stone  jars.  They  will 
keep  just  as  well  in  glass  as  in  tin  if  the  jars  are  carefully 


LETTUCE  113 

wrapped  with    brown    paper    or    kept   in   a   dark   place. 

"Lettuce  is  a  green  vegetable  of  not  much  value  for 
nourishment." 

'■What  is  its  use  then,  Doctor?" 

"Well,  it  contains  a  mild  sedative  substance  which  is 
useful   under  certain  conditions  and  in  some  diseases." 

"Will  you  please  describe  the  uses  and  advantages  let- 
tuce may  have.^" 

"Cases  of  diabetes  have  been  reported  cured  with  let- 
tuce, although  this  is  a  matter  in  which  mistakes  might 
easily  be  made,  but  inasmuch  as  it  does  not  contain  any 
considerable  starch  or  sugar,  and  is  quite  a  sedative,  it 
ought  to  be  ri  great  use  in  disease  of  the  kidneys  of  the 
character  of  diabetes,  although  we  would  not  be  willing  to 
stand  on  a  declaration  that  anyone  can  be  cured  by  a  let- 
tuce diet." 

"Is  there  any  other  use  for  lettuce?" 

"Yes,  owing  to  its  effect  akin  to  that  of  opium  it  is  said 
to  be  good  food  for  sleeplessness  and  for  that  purpose 
should  be  eaten  in  some  quantities  late  in  the  evening.  It 
has  a  tendency  to  diminish  action  of  the  heart,  and  should 
be  avoided  where  there  is  great  danger  of  heart  failure, al- 
though no  attention  Of  dinarily  should  be  given  to  any  dan- 
ger so  remote  as  th^i    ' 

"Doctor,  as  celery  is  such  a  favorite  with  the  people, no 
doubt  you  will  will  be  able  to  say  something  very  good 
about  it?" 

"Then  you  would  have  me  treat  the  subject  according 
to  what  the  people  believe  and  if  I  am  only  expected  to 
tell  them  what  they  already  know  or  what  they  think 
they  know  what  is  the  use  writing  a  book?" 

"I  confess  that  you  have  disarmed  me,  let  us  know 
the  facts?" 

"Celery  contains  some  90  to  93  per  cent  water,  about 


114  CELERY 

1  1-4  per  cent  of  cellulose,  1  per  cent  of  mineral  matter, 
about  1  to  2  per  cent  of  vegetable  albumen  and  4  per  cent 
sugar  and  starch." 

**Accordingto  that  then  it  is  very  similar  to  cabbage?" 

"Yes,  but  it  contains  less  fiber  and  also  less  mineral  mat- 
ter, though  it  has  a  great  deal  of  both." 

"Then  it  is  but  little  superior  to  cabbage  except  in  fla- 
vor, but  the  people  believe  it  to  be  a  brain  and  nerve  food, 
is  there  nothing  in  this.?" 

"Well,  it  is  a  pity  to  shatter  their  faith  but  there  is  no 
real  foundation  for  the  belief,  except  the  bare  possibility, 
that  the  mineral  matter  might  be  of  benefit  to  those  who 
are  in  the  habit  of  living  on  food  that  contains  but  little  of 
the  mineral  salts." 

"Don't  different  foods  nourish  different  parts  of  the 
body?" 

"Not  in  the  sense  in  which  it  is  used.  If  they  did  brains 
would  be  brain  food  and  we  would  all  be  wise.  Food 
simply  furnishes  heat  and  material  to  replace  the  waste 
tissue  according  to  the  needs  of  the  body,  let  that  be 
wherever  it  may." 

"Is  there  any  objectionable  properties  in  celery  as  a 
food?" 

"Not  more  so  than  any  other  stringy  food.  It  is  simply 
a  question  of  making  it  fine  enough." 

*^'How  should  it  be  prepared?" 

"It  should  be  chopped  crosswise  and  very  fine  and  then 
stewed  until  tender  and  served  with  milk,  but  the  milk 
should  not  be  allowed  to  boil,  only  gradually  warmed  for  a 
few  minutes?" 

"What  is  the  particular  value  of  celery?" 

"Its  flavor.  It  is  an  excellent  thing  to  flavor  other 
kinds  of  foods  less  palatable.  The  seed  as  well  as  the 
stems,  are  also  used  for  this  purpose." 


GREENS  115 

"May  it  not  be  eaten  raw  as  well  as  cooked?" 

"Certainly,  only  those  who  are  in  the  least  subject  to 
ailments  of  digestion  should  take  particular  care  to  not 
swallow  it  with  its  strings.  On  the  whole,  celery  is  one 
of  the  most  pleasant  and  appetizing  of  all  garden  vege- 
table, and  as  a  relish  deserves  to  stand  ahead  of  any  oth- 
ers, because  it  is  free  from  acrid  and  irritating  oil  found  in 
radishes,  onions,  peppers  and  other  vegetables." 

"Doctor,  what  are  the  various  kinds  of  stuff  that  are 
used  for  greens?" 

"Beettops,  onion  tops,  dandelion.sour  dock  and  spinach. 
The  latter  is  much  more  commonly  used  than  any  of  the 
others.  It  is  the  only  vegetable  cultivated  particularly  for 
this  purpose." 

"What  use  have  they  as  foods?" 

"They  have  very  little  value  as  food,  i.  e.  so  far  as  any 
nutriment  they  contain,  for  they  are  principally  fiber, and 
asordinarily  cooked  and  served  with  vinegar,  they  are  ex- 
ceedingly indigestible  and  likely  to  cause  disturbance  and 
irritation  of  the  digestive  organs." 

"Why  is  this?" 

"Well,  because  it  would,  as  ordinarily  cooked,  be  very 
much  like  eating  a  lot  of  hemp  strings.  If  they  are  stew- 
ed until  soft  and  simply  swallowed,  they  will  unavoid- 
ably obstruct  not  only  the  passage  of  food  out  of  the  stom- 
ach, but  the  intestines  as  well,  and  almost  sure  to  cause 
flatulence." 

"I  have  always  heard  that  greens  are  very  laxative 
and  that  they  are  frequently  prescribed  in  constipation." 

"Well,  as  they  contain  a  large  amount  of  waste  mat- 
ter, in  fact  very  little  else,  they  are  naturally  laxative,  if 
properly  used." 

"How  should  they  be  served  so  as  to  overcome  the  ob- 
jection you  mention?" 


116  ONIONS 

"The  leaves  should  be  chopped  crosswise  until  they  are 
very  fine  and  then  stewed  until  tender,  that  would  over- 
come the  principal  objection  to  them.  Greens  are  of  great 
value  where  there  is  torpidity  of  the  liver  and  lower  bow- 
els. They  are  also  useful  in  another  way  for  diabetes, 
inasmuch  as  diabetics  must  live  largely  on  animal  food,  it 
furnishes  a  coarse  food  substance  to  satisfy  the  appetite. 
Greens  are  also  of  value  to  people  who  are  corpulent,  for 
the  same  reason.    Little  nutriment,  much  bulk." 

'♦What  about  serving  them  with  vinegar?" 

•'Vinegar  being  a  fermented  liquid,  it  is  objectionable 
to  persons  who  ha\e  acid  stomachs.  If  anything  sour  is 
required  to  make  them  palatable,  lemon  juice  is  much  to 
be  preferred." 

"The  onion  is  sometimes  facetiously  called  the  Irish- 
man's fruit  and  whether  this  be  a  good  name  or  not,  it 
will  not  likely  ever  be  called  lover's  favorite." 

"Why  so?" 

"Becauseof  the  odor  of  a  volatile  oil  which  it  contains." 

"I  never  understood  how  the  smell  of  the  onion  gave 
such  an  offensive  odor  to  the  breath  after  eating  it." 

"It  happens  this  way;  the  oil  or  flavoring  matter  of  the 
onion  is  taken  into  the  blood  in  the  process  of  digestion, 
then  escapes  from  the  blood  because  of  its  volatile  ten- 
dency just  as  soon  as  it  is  brought  in  contact  with  the  air 
in  the  lungs,  and  the  breath  coming  from  the  lungs  is  la- 
den with  the  smell  of  the  onion." 

"Is  there   any  way  to  overcome  the  offensive  odor?" 

"Not  entirely,  though  the  fact  that  the  oil  is  volatile  a 
large  portion  of  it  escapes  when  the  onions  are  cooked, 
as  everyone  knows  that  in  cooking  a  kettle  full  of  onions 
enough  of  the  oil  escapes  to  scent  the  atmosphere  of  the 
whole  neighborhood." 

"How  should  they  be  cooked?" 


ONIONS  117 

"Like  most  of  the  vegetables  we  have  just  described, 
it  contains  a  large  amount  of  fiber  and  is  much  benefited 
by  being  chopped  crosswise  so  that  the  stringy  substrjice 
is  well  separated  with  the  knife.  There  is  another  advan- 
tage in  chopping  the  onions  in  this  way,  and  that  is,  they 
cook  more  quickly  and  more  of  the  pungent  oil  is  dissipa- 
ted." 

"How  long  does  the  smell  of  the  onions  remain  in  the 
system?" 

"That  depends  upon  the  quantity  eaten  and  the  con- 
dition of  the  individual.  If  a  considerable  amount  is  con- 
sumed and  the  person  is  more  or  less  constipated,  the 
onion  breath  will  continue  for  at  least  24  hours;  otherwise 
not  so  long." 

"What  about  the  nutriment  of  the  onion?" 

"The  principal  element  in  the  onion  is  gum,  with  some 
starch  and  the  average  of  several  analyses  shows  about 
one  part  tissue  forming  substance  to  seven  of  heat  pro- 
ducing, which  is  not  a  bad  proportion.  It  also  has  some 
mineral  matter." 

•'Why  is  it  that  onions  disagree  with  people  and  that 
they  can  taste  them  so  long  after  eating  them?" 

"Two  reasons.  One  is,  that  if  onions  are  eaten  raw 
the  oil  acts  as  an  irritant  to  persons  of  delicate  stomachs, 
just  for  the  same  reason  that  radishes  and  peppers  do. 
Then  there  is  another  reason  and  that  is  a  raw  onion  is 
rather  difficult  to  dissolve  and  considering  its  pungency 
and  its  toughness,  it  is  no  wonder  that  people  taste  them 
for  some  hours  after  eating  them." 

"Then  according  to  this.  Doctor,  the  onion  is  not  to  be 
eaten  in  the  raw  state." 

"It  is  not  desirable  that  way.  When  cooked,  it  takes 
a  high  place  as  a  vegetable.  It  is  somewhat  stimulating 
to.  the  system   and  supposed  to  be  slightly  laxative  but 


118  PUMPKINS 

not  sufficiently  so  to  deserve  any  special  mention.     Most 
people   prefer  cooked  onions  served  with  milk  or  cream." 

"Garlick  and  leeks  have  similar  properties  to  that  of 
the  onion.  They  have  no  especial  value  except  as  con- 
diments to  flavor  other  foods." 

"The  pumpkin  is  the  largest  of  vegetable  fruits  cultiva- 
ted in  this  country.  It  is  said  that  the  Indians  cultivated 
the  pumpkin  with  Indian  Corn  for  centuries  before  the 
discovery  of  America." 

"What  property  has  the  pumpkin  that  people  should 
be  called  pumpkin  headed?" 

"That  is  probably  because  they  are  big  and  hollow, 
with  nothing  inside.  I  have  often  heard  it  said  of  them 
that  they  were  all  water,  but  this  is  not  true,  for  about  2 
per  cent  of  the  pumpkin  is  sugar.  It  contains  a  good  deal 
of  waste  material,  which  together  with  the  sugar  makes 
it  a  valuable  food,  in  connection  with  grain  of  some  kind 
for  fattening  animals." 

''What particular  use  has  it  as  a  food?" 

"Many  people  stew  pumpkin,  but  pumpkin  pies  are 
well  nigh  a  universal  favorite." 

"Is  there  any  objection  to  the  use  of  the  pumpkin  as  a 
food?" 

"Not  ordinarily,  but  for  persons  who  have  an  acid  stom- 
ach  and  need  to  avoid  sugar  and  sweet  foods  generally, . 
the  pumpkin  is  not  suitable,  although  it  is  a  valuable 
food  especially  for  growing  children,  who  tolerate  sweets 
and  need  something  more  or  less  laxative.  The  squash 
belongs  to  the  same  family  as  the  pumpkin,  although 
some  varieties  are  very  nearly  identical  with  thai  of 
the  sweet  potato.  These  are  baked  and  treated  very 
much  as  a  sweet  potato.  They  furnish  a  rich  and  nu- 
tritious food  but  not  particularly  easy  of  digestion,  and  as 
they  contain  a  very  large  per  cent  of  sugar  they   would 


RADISH  119 

not  be  a  suitable  food  where  the  pumpkin  would   not." 

"The  radish  is  a  garden  vegetable  that  has  many- 
staunch  friends,  for  many  people  like  it  better  than  any 
other  garden  vegetable." 

"What  is  the  reason  for  this.?" 

"Because  it  contains  a  volatile  and  aromatic  oil  that 
gives  to  it  pungency  as  well  as  flavor." 

"Some  people  say  that  radishes  do  not  agree  with 
them,  why  is  this.^"" 

"The  radish  is  sufficiently  pungent  to  irritate  the  stom- 
ach; besides  this,  it  is  tough,  solid  and  stringy.  It  is 
therefore  difficult  to  dissolve  and  undesirable  for  persons 
of  weak  digestion." 

"But,  Doctor,  there  are  other  people  who  claim  that 
radishes  aid  their  digestion." 

"That  is  rather  doubtful,  but  if  it  be  true, 'it  could  only 
arise  from  one  fact,  and  that  is  that  the  eating  of  a  small 
amount  of  the  vegetable  stimulates  the  secretion  of  gas- 
tric juice  because  it  irritates  the  stomach  while  there  is 
not  sufficient  amount  of  the  tough  insoluble  part  to  ser- 
iously disturb  digestion. 

As  a  relish,  to  eat  a  bite  or  two,  the  radish  may  be  of 
some  use,  and  is  certainly  very  pleasant,  but  no  consider- 
able quantity  should  be  eaten  by  anyone,  no  matter  how 
good  their  digestion  may  be.  It  is  so  near  all  water  and 
fiber  that  it  has  no  particular  value  as  food." 

"Pepper  is  a  name  for  vegetables  which  includes  quite 
a  number  of  varieties,  differing  much  in  their  degree  of 
pungency.  There  is  the  common  red  pepper  used  only 
for  sauces  and  then  there  are  both  swe.t  and  pungent 
mangos.  The  mango  pepper  is  used  as  a  case  for  pickled 
cabbage.  The  flavor  is  much  relished  by  many  people, 
but  it  is  exceedingly  tough  and  indigestible.  It  has  no 
value  as  food   whatever  and  peppers  do  not  deserve  a 


120  RHUBARB— VEGETABLE 

place  in  any  dietary  as  food,  aitliough  tiiey  might  occa- 
sionally be  useful  in  a  medicinal  way  for  pepper  tea." 

"Rhubarb  occupies  a  peculiar  field  among  vegetables, 
for  it  has  little  similarity  except  in  the  manner  of  its 
growth." 

"What  are  the  properties  of  rhubarb?" 

"Well,  the  rhubarb  plant,  including  wine  plant,  is  a 
stringy  stalk  containing  a  very  large  amount  of  acid  and 
some  gum." 

"What  kind  of  acid.?" 

"The  acid  of  rhubarb  is  principally  oxalic  acid.  When 
it  is  stewed  a  considerable  part  of  it  is  dissipated.  It  is  ex- 
ceedingly stringy  and  objectionable  on  that  account.  Per- 
sons who  have  a  tendency  to  an  acid  stomach  should  not 
eatrhubarb." 

"Is  this  the  only  objection  to  it.?" 

"All  persons  who  have  a  tendency  to  the  formation  of 
gall-stones  or  stone  in  the  bladder  should  avoid  rhubarb, 
because  it  may  unite  mineral  substances  in  the  system 
and  greatly  aggravate  the  tendency.  It  is  not  a  desirable 
food  but  its  acid  may  be  useful  when  no  other  can  be 
obtained." 

"Vegetable  marrow  is  a  vegetable  that  is  not  extensively 
cultivated  but  one  which  some  people  like  very  much.  It 
is  so  near  all  water  that  it  is  not  especially  valuable  as  a  food. 
It  contains  a  small  per  cent  of  starchy  material,  and  a  con- 
siderable amount  of  waste.  Not  much  can  be  said  either 
for  or  against  it." 

"Doctor,  I  suppose  you  cannot  say  much  good  of  the 
cucumber,  because  few  people  do,  except  that  they  like 
it." 

"That  is  true.  A  great  many  people  prefer  it  to  any  oth- 
er garden  vegetable.  Its  flavor,  like  many  other  vegetables 
is  be.  ause  of  the  aromatic  oil  it  contains." 


CUCUMBERS  AND   PICKLES  121 

"Why  do  cucumbers  make  so  many  people  sick?" 
"There  are  several  reasons  for  this.  It  is  possible  that 
the  aromatic  oil  which  gives  the  cucumber  its  flavor,  has 
some  peculiar  effect  on  the  stomach,  but  this  is  probably 
not  the  main  reason.  It  is  difficult  to  say  which  deserves 
the  most  prominent  mention,  the  toughness  of  the  cucum- 
ber or  the  sharp  seeds.  More  people  are  doubtless  affect- 
ed on  account  of  the  toughness  of  the  vegetable,  but 
when  the  seeds  do  cause  mischief  it  is  of  a  somewhat  vio. 
lent  character.  It  is  doubtful  if  there  is  any  vegetable 
that  is  on  the  whole  as  insoluble  as  the  cucumber,  and 
the  number  of  seeds  is  simply  astonishing  if  they  were 
all  taken  out,  and  what  is  peculiar  about  them  is  their 
sharp  point  and  straw-like  consistence.  These  some- 
times prick  the  mucous  membrane  of  the  stomach  and 
intestines  but  much  more  likely  the  latter.  They  are  in- 
soluble and  liable  to  cause  more  or  less  obstruction 
in  addition  to  the  irritation.  Of  course,  the  cases  in 
which  the  seed  lacerate  the  membranes  of  the  intestines 
are  comparatively  rare,  but  it  deserves  mention." 
"What  can  you  say  about  pickles.?" 
"Pickles  are  the  enemy  of  the  human  race.  If  there  be 
a  personal  Devil  seeking  the  destruction  and  discomfort 
of  the  race,  it  is  safe  to  conclude  that  one  of  his  methods 
of  operation  is  with  the  pickle." 

"Why  do  you  say  that  they  are  so  bad?" 
"Because  of  their  insolubility  and  because  they  contain 
enough  ferment  in  the  shape  of  vinegar  to  disturb  all  per- 
sons who  have  weak  stomachs." 

"is  there  nothingthatcan  be  said  in  favor  of  the  pickle?" 
"Absolutely  nothing.     There  is  something  peculiar  and 
abnormal   about  the  craving  for  pickles  and  this  is  espec- 
ially true  of  school  children,  who  of  all  persons  ought  to 
be  the  last  to  eat  them." 


122  WATERMELON,  NUTMEG 

"How  about  the  craving  for  something  sour — for  acids?" 
"Well,    acids    should    be    furnished    in  fruits  and  not 
pickles." 

"The  watermelon  has  a  very  significant  name,  because 
it  is  more  water  than  any  thing  else,  and  the  season 
never  gets  so  dry  but  what  the  watermelon  is  still  com- 
posed mostly  of  water." 

"Doctor,  what  is  the  composition  of  watermelon?" 
"The  part  that   is   eaten  is  composed  mostly  of  water, 
seeds,  a  little  sugar  and  fiber." 

"Why  should  the  watermelon  be  objectionable?" 
"Because  it  is  often  stale,  tough  and  difficult  to  dis- 
solve and  is  in  that  respect  much  like  many  of  the  veg- 
etables. When  it  is  well  ripened,  and  has  not  stood  too 
long  after  being  removed  from  the  vine,  it  is  not  more  ob- 
jectionable than  sugar  and  water.  It  has  about  the  same 
advantages  with  the  addition  of  a  small  amount  of  flavor- 
ing matter  which  is  supposed  to  act  as  a  diuretic.  The' 
seeds  of  the  watermelon  are  often  used  to  make  a  tea  for 
the  same  purpose  and  are  useful  in  some  diseases  of  the 
kidneys  and  bladder." 

"The  nutmeg  or  cantelope,  is  very  similar  to  the 
watermelon,  only  it  is  richer.  It  contains  even  more 
sugar,  is  very  palatable  and  a  desirable  food  for  those 
who  tolerate  sugar." 

"Mushroons  are  not  used  extensively  in  this  country, 
because  not  much  effort  has  been  made  to  cultivate  them 
and  those  found  in  the  woods  or  field  are  difficult  to  gather, 
besides  there  is  great  danger  of  being  poisoned  by  them. 
Some  are  even  so  poisonous  that  they  will  poison  a  person 
to  handle  them." 

"How  can  the  edible  ones  be  distinguished  from  the 
poisonous  ones?" 


MUSHROOMS  123 

"They  can  only  be  distinguished  by  people  who  are 
familiar  with  them  and  have  some  knowledge  of  botany. 
There  are  three  or  four  hundred  \'arieties  of  edible  mush- 
rooms found  in  the  United  States,  and  the  number  ot 
poisonous  ones  is  also  very  large." 

"What  are  the  properties?" 

"The  mushroon  is  very  rich  in  nitrogen,  tissue  forming 
substance — perhaps  more  so  than  any  known  vegetable." 

"How  is  it  then  that  it  is  supposed  to  cause  indigestion?" 

"Well,  no  doubt  much  more  is  charged  to  it  than  it  de- 
serves because  it  is  usually  eaten  with  other  rich  foods, 
but  as  it  is  usually  fried  this  method  of  cooking  would 
necessarily  make  it  difificult  to  digest  because  the  prin- 
ciple of  frying  tissue  forming  foods  is  radically  wrong. 
Mushrooms,  instead  of  being  eaten  with  meat  ought  to 
supplant  meat  entirely  whenever  any  considerable  part 
of  a  meal  is  made  of  them." 


CHAPTER  XI. 
Sugar. 

"Doctor,  1  suppose  that  most  people  know  what  is 
meant  by  sugar?" 

"Yes,  they  understand  that  it  is  some  substance  ex- 
tracted from  plants  and  crystallized.  They  also  know 
that  it  dissolves  very  readily  and  easily  becomes  a  fluid." 

"How  is  sugar  obtained?" 

"The  sugar  of  commerce  is  obtained  most  largely  from 
what  is  known  as  sugar  cane,  although  much  beet  sugar 
is  used  in  this  country.  The  cane  sugar  comes  from  tro- 
pical countries  while  some  of  the  beet  sugar  is  produced 
in  this  country  but  more  comes  from  Eiurope,  principally 
Germany.  There  is  also  a  small  amount  of  sugar  made 
from  the  sap  of   maple  trees  and  from  sorghum  cane." 

"Are  there  any  other   plants  which  contain  sugar?" 

"Yes,  nearly  all  the  plants  used  for  food  have  more  or 
less  sugar  in  them  and  many  fruits  are  very  rich  in  sugar 
although  the  sugar  of  fruits  is  slightly  different  from  that 
of  cane  sugar.     Fruit  sugar  is  known  as  levulose." 

"Is  there  any  sugar  in  meats?" 

"No,  but  there  is  a  great  deal  of  sugar  in  milk,  especi- 
ally human  milk.  The  milk  in  sugar  is  called  milk  sugar 
or  lactose." 

"To  what  class  of  foods  does  sugar  belong?" 

"Sugar  belongs  to  the  force  producers  and  ranks  next 
to  fat  and  starch  for  that  purpose.  This  being  the  case,  it 
is  aptly  termed  a  concentrated  food,  for  it  has  no  waste." 

"In  what  way  is  it  useful  as  a  food?" 

"Well,   the  fact  that  it   is  found  in  most  of  our  foods 

135 


126  SUGAR 

would  indicate  tiiat  it  had  a  high  place  in  serving  some 
need  of  the  body." 

"This  will  be  very  gratifying  to  persons  who  are  said  to 
have  a  sweet  tooth,  and  they  will  be  quoting  you  wher- 
ever candy  is  wanted  and  for  every  reprimand  received." 

"I  am  not  so  sure  about  that.  It  does  not  follow  that 
because  nature  distributes  sugar  in  most  of  her  plants 
that  the  crystallized  sugar  of  commerce  deserves  the 
same  extensive  use,  and  it  is  not  clear  why  sugar  should 
be  added  to  our  foods  any  more  than  it  be  would  to  add 
extract  of  beef  to  a  steak  or  roast." 

"I  wasn't  expecting  such  a  turn  as  you  have  given 
the  matter." 

*'So  much  injury  comes  from  the  excessive  use  of  sugar 
that  some  one  should  warn  the  people  of  the  fact." 

"I  never  heard  of  the  injury  before." 

"Perhaps  you  never  thought  about  the  needs  of  the 
system  and  how  much  sugar  is  really  used." 

"No,  I  never  did." 

"Well,  considering  the  amount  of  sugar  imported,  the 
various  kinds  of  sugar  syrup  and  molasses  made  in  this 
country,  one  is  surprised  how  much.per  capita  is  really 
consumed." 

"About    how  much  will  it  make  for  each  individual?" 

"If  we  make  some  allowance  for  those  who  scarcely 
eat  sugar  at  all  and  for  small  children,  we  are  forced  to 
conclude  that  the  sugar  eaters  average  from  five  ounces 
up  to  almost  a  pound  per  day.  Now  a  pound  and  a  half 
of  sugar  would  furnish  enough  heat  for  ordinary  exercise 
and  weather,  without  any  other  food,  and  it  will  therefore 
be  seen  that  a  large  amount  of  sugar  in  our  diet  dispenses 
with  other  foods.  This  leaves  us  a  diet  so  deficient  in 
many  respects  that  injury  could  not  help  but  follow." 


SUGAR  127 

"What  is  the  effect  of  the  excessive  use  of  sugar?" 

"Well,  to  understand  that,  we  must  consider  that 
sugar  is  pure  fuel  with  no  waste  matter  in  it  and  that  every 
particle  of  it  must  be  burned  up  in  the  system  or  thrown 
out  of  the  system  as  sugar.  Now,  where  much  sugar  is 
consumed  it  has  a  tendency  to  prevent  the  burning  up  of 
other  foods,  and  this  leads  to  serious  consequences.  If, 
however,  the  quantity  of  food  is  reduced  in  proportion  to 
the  amount  of  sugar  used,  then  there  is  no  waste  materi- 
al for  the  system,  or  at  least  it  reduces  the  waste  as  well 
as  the  tissue  forming  foods.  If  other  foods  are  not  pro- 
portionately reduced  according  to  the  amount  of  sugar 
consumed,  there  may  be  conjestion  of  the  liver,  disturb- 
ance of  digestion,  excessive  accumulation  of  fat,  and 
finally  diabetes.  If  the  food  be  reduced  according  to  the 
sugar,  then  there  will  likely  be  constipation." 

"This  is  worse  and  more  of  it,  is  there  any  other  mean 
thing  you  can  say  about  sugar?" 

"Well  if  sugar  is  not  quickly  disposed  of,  it  will  turn 
to  vinegar,  and  in  doing  this  it  is  likely  to  arrest  digestion 
and  if  the  food  is  not  properly  digested,  decay  sets  in, 
which  produces  poisonous  gases  besides  other  decompos- 
ing substances  that  are  likely  to  poison  the  system,  caus- 
ing languor,  headache,  rheumatism,  and  many  other  ail- 
ments.' 

"I  have  often  heard  that  sugar  would  cause  the  teeth 
to  decay." 

"There  is  not  much  in  this,  for  the  accumulation  of 
starch  and  other  food  on  the  teeth  would  cause  them  to  de- 
cay without  any  sugar,  but  a  diet  made  up  largely  of 
it  would  be  deficient  in  mineral  matter  and  would  there- 
fore not  furnish  any  natural  supply  for  the  bones,  as 
well  as  other  parts  of  the  system." 


128  CANDY 

"Is  there  any  difference  between  sugar  and  mo- 
lasses or  syrup?" 

"There  is  no  difference  except  tne  quantity  of  water." 

"How  about  candy?" 

"Candy  is  flavored  sugar  with  its  crystals  broken  by 
various  methods  of  manipulation.  Other  substances  are 
often  added,  to  increase  the  weight  or  change  the  texture. 
These  are  not  supposed  to  be  harmful  in  themselves. 
They  consist  mainly  of  such  things  as  starch,  and  in  very 
cheap  candy  sometimes  an  earthy  substance,  choco- 
late, gum  and  other  substances.  Gum  drops  are  less 
likely  to  disturb  digestion  than  candy." 


CHAPTER  XII. 
VEGETABLE    vs.    ANIMAL  FOODS. 

"Doctor,  is  tliere  any  enlightened  country  in  the  world 
where  the  people  eat  as  much  meat  as  in  the  United 
States?" 

"1  don't  think  there  is." 

"Then  if  it  be  true  that  Americans  eat  more  meat,  and 
are,  as  it  is  claimed,  more  active  and  accomplish  more  in 
a  given  time,  does'nt  that  prove  the  superiority  of  a  meat 
diet?" 

"No.  It  would  be  just  as  reasonable  to  attribute  it  to 
some  one  of  a  hundred  other  things.  Esquimaux  live  on 
meat,  and  it  would  be  illogical  to  say  that  meat  eating 
made  the  people  of  the  United  States  great  and  that  it 
kept  those  of  Greenland  from  any  attainments  whatever." 

"The  altruistic  vegetarians  are  opposed  to  killing  any 
animal  for  food,  on  the  ground  that  man  has  no  better 
right  to  live  than  the  lower  animals.  What  do  you  think 
of  this  doctrine?" 

"It  is  a  common  thing  in  this  country  to  call  any  one 
who  is  greatly  interested  in  any  subject,  or  who  makes 
any  innovation  on  existing  things  a  crank,  or  a  fanatic. 
This  is  wholly  unwarranted,  although  it  strikes  me  that 
the  altruistic  vegetarians  practice  extremely  sentimental 
ethics.  Life  exists  in  every  conceivable  grade  from  the 
simplest  vegetable  to  man,  the  highest  animal.  Who  can 
tell  just  at  what  stage  of  development  it  is,  or  is  not 
harmful  to  destroy  it,  although  there  seems  to  be  general 
repugnance  to  each  species  destroying  its  own  kind." 

"Then  you  are  strongly  against  vegetarianism?" 

18» 


130  MEAT 

"If  you  merely  mean  their  antagonism  to  meat,  I  am 
much  in  sympathy  with  them." 

"1  presume  that  you  have  some  scientific  reason  for 
antagonizing  meat." 

"Yes,  many  of  them,  for  meat,  like  alcohol,  has  impor- 
tant uses,  but  it  is  so  much  abused  that  it  would  be  better 
for  the  race  if  its  use  were  abandoned." 

"Butpeoplerely  on  meatas  the  main  source  of  strength 
and  say  they  can  not  live  without  it." 

"Suppose  you  tell  that  to  the  horse.  There  is  noother 
animal  that  can  stand  so  much  or  so  varied  physical  ex- 
ertion." 

"That  is  so,  but  the  digestion  of  a  horse  is  better; 
that  overthrows  the  point  you  make." 

"1  don't  think  so.  It  proves  that  the  force  or  strength 
of  the  horse  is  developed  and  maintained  solely  on  a  veg- 
etable diet,  so  that  the  charge  that  vegetables  are  not 
strengthening  is  here  disproven,  and  if  there  is  any  fault 
it  is  in  man's  digestion  or  misuse  of  vegetables." 

"But  doctor,  the  people  understand  vegetables  to  be 
such  foods  as  potatoes  and  cabbage,  not  bread." 

"That  is  not  a  right  undej-standing,  for  wheat  and  all 
cereals  are  vegetables," 

"If  it  be  true,  as  alleged  by  many,  that  vegetables  are 
harder  to  digest,  is  not  that  a  good  reason  for  not  using 
them  exclusively?" 

"Well,  if  we  go  on  the  theory  that  we  should  eat  only 
easily  digested  foods,  then  the  less  effort  required  the 
better,  and  we  ought,  therefore,  to  eat  nothing  but  pre- 
digested  foods  and  thus  relieve  the  digestive  organs  en- 
tirely." 

"1  don't  quite  understand  you,  for  you  have  been  con- 
tinually denouncing  indigestible  foods  and  now  you  defend 
them." 


EASILY  DIGESTED  FOODS  NOT  NECESSARY  131 

"The  point  is  this:  as  we  exist  in  this  age,  our  appe- 
tites are  perverted  and  our  digestive  powers  greatly  weak- 
ened; these  must  be  strengthened  in  natural  ways." 

"Then  we  are  to  eat  foods  adapted  to  our  particular 
needs?" 

"As  far  as  possible.  Take  eggs  for  example.  They 
are  a  good  food,  but  it  would  be  a  perversion  of  nature  to 
cook  them  with  tobacco,  and  it  is  only  less  so  to  fry  them 
hard  in  butter  or  lard.  Now,  one  may  require  food  hard- 
er to  digest,  and  containing  more  waste  than  eggs,  but  it 
does  not  serve  the  purpose  to  merely  make  the  eggs  indi- 
gestible by  some  process  of  cooking." 

"Doctor,  your  explanation  is  quite  satisfactory  and 
.puts  the  subject  of  food  in  a  different  light  from  what  1 
have  ever  seen  it,  but  that  does  not  explain  what  injury 
results  from  a  meat  diet." 

"I  can  better  explain  the  use  and  then  the  abuse.  In 
discussing  animal  foods  1  endeavored  to  make  it  plain 
that  owing  to  the  chemical  composition  of  meat  it 
was  not  so  readily  burned  up  as  other  foods.  Lean 
meat  should  not  be  used  for  heat  production  but  only  to 
supply  the  deficiency  of  nitrogen  common  to  a  diet  of 
such  vegetables  as  potatoes.  For  tissue  forming  food  we 
rely  on  milk,  peas,  beans,  gluten  found  in  wheat,  oats, 
rye  and  corn,  especially  Southern  corn,  and  meat.  Now 
two  things  govern  the  use  of  these  foods;  convenience  of 
obtaining,  and  the  idiosyncrasies  of  the  individual." 

"Then  if  milk,  eggs  or  beans  did  not  agree  and  gluten 
was  not  readily  obtainable  would  you  use  meats?" 

"Well,  as  a  general  rule  gluten  is  preferable  to  meat, 
but  not  always.  In  continued  fevers,  like  typhoid,  meat 
powder  and  scraped  meat  are  especially  useful — the  same 
may  be  said  of  chronic  dysentery  and  some  other  dis- 
eases of  the  digestive  organs." 


132  ABUSE  OF  MEAT 

*'Ho\v  about  meat  in  diseases  of  the  kidneys?" 

"In  diabetes,  meat  must  be  tlie  main  reliance  for  food, 
but  in  Bright's  disease  it  is  not  permissible  1o  use  meat 
atall." 

"Why  is  this?" 

"In  diat>etes  there  is  loss  of  sugar  from  imperfect  oxi- 
dation of  starches  and  sugars,  while  in  Bright's  disease 
the  defect  is  just  the  opposite  and  the  leakage  is  of  albu- 
men." 

"What  about  the  abuse  of  meat?" 

"I  have  already  explained  that  the  waste  of  the  tissue 
forming  foods  is  eliminated  by  the  kidneys.  Now,  ordi- 
narily, ths  system  does  not  require  that  more  than  one 
sixth  of  the  food  be  of  tissue  forming  character,  but  a 
much  larger  per  cent  of  such  food  is  often  eaten,  and  as 
most  people  stimulate  their  appetites  with  either  condi- 
ments or  liquors,  it  naturally  follows  that  they  eat  too 
much." 

"Then  as  I  understand  it,  the  excess  of  tissue  forming 
foods  overwork  the  kidneys?" 

"Yes,  excessive  meat  eating  puts  too  great  a  burden  on 
the  kidneys,  but  this  is  not  the  worst  effect." 

"What  is  worse  than  disease  of  the  kidneys?" 

"The  point  1  wanted  to  make  was  not  the  virulence  of 
any  disease  but  certain  effects  that  are  well  nigh  univer- 
sal. If  there  be  imperfect  elimination  of  either  the  excess 
of  meat  eaten,  or  the  dead  tissue  of  the  body,  auto-infec- 
tion will  result  with  some  of  its  numerous  diseases." 

"Why  should  ment  be  so  much  worse  than  other  fooJs?" 

"Because  of  its  composition.  You  will  better  under- 
stand this  by  an  illustration.  Suppose  you  take  five 
pounds  of  fresh  beef  in  one  vessel  and  five  pounds  of 
vegetables  in  another,  then  cook  each  and  leave  them 
exposed  to  the  air  in  a  warm  room,  what  would  result?" 


WHY  MEAT  IS  HARMFUL  133 

"The  meat  would  spoil  in  a  short  time  and  drive  every 
one  out  of  the  house  and  almost  out  of  the  neighborhood." 

"Then  you  don't  think  that  the  vegetables  would 
greatly  disturb  any  one  when  they  spoiled?" 

"No,  and  1  guess  I  understand  your  point.  You  want 
to  emphasize  the  fact  that  decaying  meat  is  much  more 
odorous  than  decaying  vegetables." 

"That  is  it.  When  meat  or  vegetables  decay  in  the 
system,  their  relative  effect  is  very  similar  to  the  com- 
parative strength  of  their  odors  when  decomposing,  just 
as  I  have  illustr.ited." 

"Then  you  believe  that  a  large  per  cent  of  the  ordinary 
diseases  are  caused  by  excessive  meat  eating?" 

"Undoubtedly;  many  people  subject  to  bilious  attacks, 
sick  headache,  rheumatism  and  other  disorders  have 
cured  themselves  by  leaving  off  meat." 

"Doctor,  how  do  you  get  over  the  actual  experience  of 
laborers  who  say  they  can  do  more  work  on  meat  and 
even  doctors  themselves  have  tried  the  vegetable  diet 
with  unsatisfactory  results." 

"But  more  have  tried  it  with  satisfactory  results." 

"Then  that  would  indicate  that  it  was  good  for  some 
and  not  for  others." 

"That  may  be  a  fact,  and  yet  when  we  consider  how 
little  is  known  about  the  proper  preparation  of  foods,  and 
about  their  properties  and  uses,  it  is  not  surprising  that  a 
vegetable  diet  is  not  satisfactory.  How  many  can  tell 
the  amount  and  properties  of  different  foods,  that  would 
be  required  at  different  seasons  for  a  perfect  diet?" 

"Certainly  not  many,  for  I  interviewed  more  than  one 
thousand  physicians  and  only  two  of  them  could  do  it." 

"Then  how  can  they  adjust  a  diet  to  their  needs? 
Trying  a  vegetable  diet,  by  bolting  down,  as  is  usually 
done,  starchy  vegetables  (like  bread  and  potatoes)  into 


134  DIFFERENCE  IN  INDIVIDUALS 

an  acid  stomach,  would  be  absolutely  certain  to  bring 
disagreeable  results.  Then  there  are  other  reasons  for 
such  failure.  Many  vegetables  contain  an  excess  of 
starch,  and  if  fat  and  sugar  be  added  as  is  usually  done, 
the  excess  throws  the  diet  too  far  out  of  balance." 

"May  there  not  be  some  peculiarity  in  the  digestion  of 
individuals,  so  that  vegetables  suit  some  best  while  meats 
are  best  for  others?" 

"That  may  be  possible,  and  is  what  is  called  idiosyn- 
crasy. People  who  feel  discomfort  from  eatmg  a  large 
amount  of  meat  or  eggs  will  unquestionably  do  better  on 
a  vegetable  diet.  If  the  stomach  only  secretes  a  small 
amount  of  acid  and  pepsin,  and  me  pancreatic  digestion 
is  good,  vegetable  foods  will  agree  much  better  than 
meats." 

"Don't  some  persons  have  strongly  acid  stomachs  and 
weak  pancreatic  digestion,  who  can  hardly  be  said  to  be 
diseased.?" 

"Yes,  there  are  probably  such  persons,  but  the  stomach 
specialist  does  not  have  occasion  to  treat  such  stomachs 
until  there  is  disease,  so  that  no  one  so  far  as  1  know, 
has  sought  such  a  subject  on  which  to  make  a  test.  The 
starches  in  large  quantities  would  not  agree  with  such 
persons,  but  I  am  of  the  opinion  that  the  vegetable  gluten 
found  in  wheat,  peas  and  beans  if  properly  prepared 
would  agree  better  than  meat.  The  reason  why  people 
have  failed  with  a  vegetable  diet  is,  that  they  have  gone 
I  too  far  in  substituting  starch  for  meat  instead  of  trying 
'  something  like  wheat  gluten  or  nuts." 

"Doctor,  after  all  your  predilections  seem  to  be  on  the 
side  of  the  vegetarians." 

"No,  I  have  no  bias  or  fads,  and  1  speak  of  things  as 
1  find  them.  My  conclusions  are  based  on  many  years 
careful  study  of  the  diseases  of  the  digestive  organs  and 


VEGETARIANISM  135 

how  they  are  caused  and  influenced  by  diet  and  habits. 
A  stomach  specialist,  who  treats  chronic  diseases  of  long 
standing  is  compelled  to  study  cause  and  effect." 

"Then  according  to  your  view,  Doctor,  the  main  reason 
why  the  so-called  trials  of  vegetarians  failed  is  because 
those  making  the  trials  did  not  understand  digestion,  and 
the  proper  assimilation  of  foods.^" 

"Yes,  that  is  it;  one  pound  of  wheat  hearts  contains  as 
much  of  tissue  forming  food  as  two  pounds  of  steak,  and 
it  is  a  fact  that  many  invalids  can  digest  it  who  cannot 
digest  meat,  and  it  is  absur  i  to  say  that  such  foods  are 
not  su*ficientlv  nutritio-js  " 


CHAPTER  .XIII, 
ANIMAL  FOODS. 

"What  is  meant  by  animal  foods?'' 

"Animal  foods  are  not  the  foods  of  aninwH  7?  some 
might  suppose,  but  they  are  the  food  products  that  are 
derived  from  animals." 

"In  what  way  are  the  animal  foods  different  Irrr.i  the 
vegetable?'' 

"In  many  ways,  although  they  contain  some  of  th.e  same 
elements." 

"Which  of  the  animal  foods  do  you  consider  the  best?" 

"Milk  is  probably  the  first  and  most  useful  of  all  foods. 
At  le^st,  there  has  never  yet  been  a  satisfactory  substitute 
as  a  food  for  infants,  and  as  it  seems  to  be  Na+ure's  method 
of  feeding  the  young,  we  ought  not,  it  seems,  undertake 
to  substitute  a  method  of  our  own." 

"Why  is  milk  the  best  food  for  infants?" 

"Because  it  provides  all  the  necessary  elements,  not 
only  for  sustaining  life,  but  for  growth  as  well.'' 

"Then,  if  it  supplies  all  the  needed  elements,  is  it  not 
equally  valuable  for  grown  people?" 

"It  does  not  follow  that  such  is  the  case,  because  they 
do  not  require  any  material  for  growth,  but  they  do  re- 
quire proportionately  more  of  heat  or  force-producing 
foods,  because  the  surface  of  the  body  bemg  so  much 
larger  the  radiation  of  heat  is  necessarily  greater.  In  ad- 
dition to  this  the  exercise  and  labor  of  grown  people  ne- 
cessitate an  increase  in  food  for  heat  or  force  production. 
An  infant  is  kept  within  a  warm  room  and  does  not 
require  very  much  food  for  either  heat  or  exer-"'s/^.  it 
needs  mainly  something  on  whfth  to  grov-"'^ 


138  COMPOSITION  OF  MILK 

"What  is  the  composition  of  milk?" 
"The  per  cent  of  various  matters  in  ordinary  cow's  milk 
is  as  follows: 

Tissue-forming  substance   3  to    4  per  cent. 

Fat   4  per  cent. 

Milk  sugar  or  lactose 3  to    5  per  cent. 

iNimerai  matter f  of    1  per  cent. 

iotai  solids  being  from 12  to  15  per  cent. 

The  remainder  being  water. 
'  i  he  analyses  of  human  milk  show  a  range  of  proper- 
ties, as  follows: 

1  issue-forming  substances  ....   1    to  3|  per  cent. 

Milk  sugar 5f  to  7   per  cent. 

Fat 2    to  4^  per  cent. 

]\Iineral  matter 1-.5  to  1-H  of  1  per  cent. 

"It  will  be  seen  from  this  that  a  fair  average  would  be: 

Tissue-forming  substances 2    per  cent. 

Milk  sugar 3f  per  cent. 

Fat 3    per  cent. 

Mineral  matter   1-6  of  ]    per  cent. 

In  comparing  these  it  will  be  noticed  that  cow's  milk 
contains  a  much  larger  per  cent  of  fat  and  tissue-forming 
food  and  a  much  smaller  per  cent  of  milk  sugar,  than 
human  milk.'' 

"Then,  considering  this  fact,  how  can  cow's  milk  be 
best  adapted  for  infant  feeding?" 

"By  adding  about  twice  its  volume  of  water,  a  little 
extra  cream  and  enough  cane  sugar  to  increase  the  per 
cent  of  sugar  in  the  milk  to  that  of  human  milk." 
"Why  does  milk  disagree  with  so  many  people?" 
■"Milk  disagrees  with  many  people  because  it  is  not 
'^roDerlv  used;  at  least,  that  is  the  main  reason.  The 
proxeia  or  tissue-forming  sflbstance  of  the  milk  is  known 
as  casein,  and  the  stomach  has  a  milk-curdling  element 


MODIFYING    MILK  139 

which  at  once  coagulates  the  milk,  i.  e.,  separates  the  solid 
matter  from  the  water,  making  it  a  solid  mass  of  laugh 
curds.'' 

"What  has  this  to  do  with  its  disagreeing  with  pt-upie?" 

"Well,  the  particles  of  casein  when  formed  in  curds  are 
too  large  for  easy  digestion  by  persons  who  have  weak 
stomachs.*' 

"Can  this  difficulty  be  overcome?" 

''Yes;  one  way  is  to  take  milk  in  small  quan'.ilies, 
swallowing  it  very  slowly,  mixing  it  with  saliva,  a.^-l,  if 
it  is  necessary  to  use  a  great  deal,  it  may  be  given  quite 
frequently." 

"Is  this  the  only  way  of  helping  the  difficulty?" 

"Xo;  there  are  many  ways  by  which  milk  may  be  made 
easy  to  digest." 

"What  are  they?" 

"That  •  depends  upon  the  difficulty.  Ordinarily  the 
casein  is  the  trouble,  but  it  might  be  the  fat,  as  some  peo- 
ple do  not  tolerate  fat  very  well.  This  is  especially  true 
of  consumptives.  If  it  is  the  fat  that  causes  the  truuole, 
it  can  be  remedied  by  skimming.  If  it  is  the  casein,  which 
is  most  likely,  there  are  many  ways  of  preventing  the 
formation  of  large  curds  in  the  stomach.  One  way  is  to 
dilute  the  milk  with  water.  That  is  a  very  good  way  when 
it  is  not  convenient  to  use  any  other.  Another  way,  per- 
haps more  important  than  all,  is  to  dilute  it  with  alkaline 
or  aerated  waters." 

"What  do  you  mean  by  alkaline  waters?" 

"Well,  by  alkaline  water  we  ordinarily  understand  a  so- 
lution of  bi-carbonate  of  soda  or  lime  water." 

"How  are  these  prepared?" 

"Well,  for  lime  water,  take  an  ounce  or  so  of  sia'sed 
lime,  about  twice  as  much  powdered  sugar,  and  to  ri\cse 
add  a  pint  of  pure  water.     The  mixture  should  bo  sVia-A^M 


140  MODIFYING  MILK 

occasionally  for  some  hours  and  then  allowed  to  stand, 
and  the  clear  liquid  carefully  drawn  off." 

"Which  is  the  best,  the  lime  water  or  the  preparation 
of  soda?" 

"The  lime  water  mixture  is  to  be  preferred  when  there 
's  R  tendency  to  diarrhoea." 

"How  is  the  water  containing  soda  prepared?" 
"Take  ten  grains  of  common  bi-carbonate  of  soda 
''"?.king  soda),  about  an  equal  quantity  of  salt,  and  a 
•*2".all  amount  of  light  magnesia.  This  may  be  added  to 
"  ^Jiird  of  a  tumblerful  of  hot  water  to  two-thirds  hot 
milk." 

"What  is  the  principle  of  using  alkalies  to  dilute  milk?" 
"The  alkalies  neutralize  the  acidity  ot  the  stomach  and 
prevent  the  quick  formation  of  large  curds  and  makes 
them  more  easily  digested." 

"Are  there  any  other  methods  used  for  diluting  nrlk?" 
"Yes ;  milk  may  be  diluted  by  barley  water  (see  barley)." 
"What  is  the  principle   upon  which  the  barley  water 
^akes  it  easier  to  digest?" 

"The  fine  particles  of  starch  mix  with  the  milk,  and  in 
that  way  separate  the  particles,  or  rather,  keep  them  from 
forming  too  large  solid  lumps." 

"I  have  often  seen  people  boil  milk.  Does  that  add  to 
its  digestibility?" 

"Boiling  milk  makes  it  more  difificult  to  digest,  because 
It  coagulates  the  casein  and  renders  it  in  a  measure  Insol- 
uble. It  has  this  advantage,  however:  Boiling  sterilizes 
it  and  arrests  thereby,  all  fermentation,  and  by  doing  this 
the  stomach  may  digest  the  milk,  whereas,  had  it  not 
been  sterilized,  the  bacteria  may  have  caused  icrmenta- 
f.-on  or  decay.  It  is  better  to  heat  only  to  boiling  point, 
'^^ilk  so  treated  will  often  be  retained  when  all  other  meth- 
'v)fi  fail," 


MODIFYING  MILK  141 

''Does  gelatine,  or  gum,  make  milk  more  digestible?'' 

"Well,  some  recommend  mixing  geiaune  or  some  of 
the  gums  like  gum  arabic.  If  white  gelathie,  such  as  the 
Keystone,  be  soaked  until  dissolved  and  then  sufficient 
water  added  to  make  it  pour  readily,  it  makes  an  admir- 
able milk  diluent." 

"The  gelatine  should  be  soaked  in  cold  water  for  sev- 
eral hours  and  then  the  cup  set  in  water  and  boiled ;  then 
it  is  fit  to  add  to  the  milk.  A  teaspoonful  may  be  put  in 
a  nursing  bottle  with  two  or  three  ounces  of  milk.'' 

"How  is  the  gelatine  prepared?" 

"Why  does  taking  acids  and  milk  together  frequently 
make  people  sick  and  cause  them  to  vomit?" 

"Almost  any  kind  of  acid,  whether  it  be  fruit  acid,  vine- 
gar or  the  mineral  acids,  will  coagulate  milk.  That  is 
very  noticeable  if  it  be  used  on  cherries  or  sour  berries. 
Now,  if  a  considerable  quantity  ol  acid  ue  taken  vvith 
milk,  it  forms  large  clots  or  curds  in  the  stomach,  and  if 
the  stomach  happens  to  be  a  little  sore,  the  clots  irritate 
it  sufficiently  to  cause  vomiting." 

"Then,  according  to  this,  no  one  should  ever  eat  acids 
and  milk  together?'' 

"No;  they  are  wholly  incompatible." 

"What  about  cream?" 

"Cream  is  that  part  of  the  milk  which  rises  to  the  top 
of  the  can  after  it  has  stood  for  some  hours.  The  reason 
it  does  tiiis  is  because  the  fat  or  oil  is  not  as  heavy  as  the 
milk." 

"What  is  the  ordinary  composition  of  cream?'' 

"Well,  cream  ordinarily  contains  about  two-thirds  of 
its  bulk  of  fat,  one  or  two  per  cent  of  casein  or  tissue- 
forming  food,  two  or  three  per  cent  milk  sugar,  and  a 
trace  of  mineral  matter." 

"What  are  some  of  the  particular  uses  of  cream?" 


142  CREAM 

"Cream  has  many  and  varied  uses.  There  is  no  fat  or 
oil  which  ordinarily  agrees  with  a  disabled  stomach  so 
well  as  cream,  although  in  some  constitutional  maladies 
cod  liver  oil  has  greater  value.  The  reason  for  this  is, 
that  cream  is  one  of  the  most  easily  digested  of  all  the 
fats  because  its  particles  are  more  readily  separated.  It 
is  of  great  use  in  diseases  of  the  stomach  where  digestion 
can  be  performed  in  the  intestines,  and  as  fat  is  not  greatly 
acted  upon  by  the  secretions  of  the  stomach,  cream  gives 
the  stomach  rest,  and  furnishes  a  large  amount  of  heat 
for  the  body.  For  fattening  purposes,  cream  is  especially 
desirable,  and  people  who  wish  to  put  on  fat  for  their 
comfort  or  their  beauty,  can  often  do  so  more  quickly  by 
using  a  large  amount  of  sweet  cream,  than  in  any  other 
way.  Pure  cream  is  not  affected  by  acids  to  the  same 
extent  as  milk,  but  milk  and  cream  as  ordinarily  used  is 
incompatible  with  acids.'' 

"Doctor,  I  have  heard  a  great  deal  about  milk  infection ; 
is  it  really  a  serious  matter,  and  if  so,  what  are  some  of 
the  causes?" 

"Yes,  milk  infection  is  much  more  serious  than  the 
people  suppose,  because  there  is  no  food  which  so  readily 
takes  up  poisonous  bacteria  as  milk." 

"How  does  the  infection  ordinarily  occur?" 

"One  of  the  great  sources  of  infection  is  from  the  ves- 
sels in  which  it  is  kept  or  handled.  Typhoid  fever  has 
been  spread  in  many  cases  by  w^ashing  the  cans  from  a 
well  that  was  infected,  and  while  the  cans  would  appear 
to  be  perfectly  sweet,  they  still  contained  deadly  poison. 
Then  again,  milk  will  absorb  poison  in  cellars  contain- 
ing foul  air  or  in  a  sick  room,  where  there  is  disease. 

Another  source  of  contagion  is  from  the  animals  them- 
selves. They  are  often  kept  in  filthy,  disease-breeding 
stables,  milked  by  persons  whose  hands  are  perhaps  both 


MILK  INFECTION  143 

diseased  and  filthy,  and  then  the  milk  is  often  allowed  to 
stand  around  in  open  cans  and  buckets,  in  foul-smelling 
stables  and  yards." 

"What  is  the  remedy  for  this?" 

"Of  course  the  greatest  remedy  would  be  cleanliness,  but 
as  the  people  who  usually  supply  milk  are  beyond  the 
reach  of  those  who  buy  it,  the  only  thing  to  be  done  is  to 
strain  it  and  treat  it  in  such  a  way  that  disease-breeding 
bacteria  will  be  destroyed."' 

"How  may  this  be  done?" 

"Doubdess  the  best  way  to  strain  milk  and  be  sure  that 
it  contains  no  part  of  barn-yard  filth,  is  to  take  a  piece  of 
cotton,  sterilize  it  (by  boiling)  and  then  put  it  in  a  funnel 
and  strain  the  milk  through  it.  There  is  also  a  process 
of  purifying  by  centrifugal  force.  The  most  popular  way 
for  rendering  inert  any  germs  in  milk  is  by  pasteurizing, 
though  it  is  alleged  that  infants  fed  on  pasteurized  milk 
have  developed  rickets." 

"How  is  milk  pasteurized?" 

"Well,  in  substance  it  is  keeping  milk  at  a  temperature 
of  about  IGO  to  170  degrees  Fahrenheit  for  a  half  hour  or 
more  and  then  allowing  it  to  cool." 

"Does  this  greatly  afTect  the  character  of  the  milk?" 

"No.  The  change  in  taste  is  very  slight,  probably  not 
noticeable  at  all.  For  ordinary  use  the  best  way  to  ster- 
ilize milk  is  to  take  bottles  that  have  been  cleaned  with 
boiling  water;  then  take  the  corks  and  clean  them  thor- 
oughly with  boiling  water  and  punch  a  small  hole  through 
them.  Fill  the  bottles  with  milk  and  then  lake  a  ketde 
of  boiling  water  and  add  a  small  amount  of  cold  water 
to  reduce  the  temperature  slightly,  and  set  on  top  of  a 
stove  or  where  it  will  get  only  limited  amount  of  heat. 
Put  the  bottles  of  milk  up  to  the  cork  in  this  kettle  of  hot 
water  and  allow-  them  to  stand  thirty  or  forty  minutes,  and 


144  PASTEURIZING  AND  STERILIZING 

then  stop  the  hole  in  the  cork  with  hot  wax  or  sterihzed 
cotton.  The  water  should  not  be  allowed  to  get  cooler 
than  175  degrees  F.'' 

"How  long  will  milk  keep  if  treated  this  way?" 

"Pasteurized  milk  has  been  kept  sweet  for  a  year  or 
more,  but  the  ordinary  precautions  taken  are  not  sufficient 
to  insure  the  absolute  destruction  of  all  bacteria,  but  if 
it  be  done  with  any  care  at  all,  the  milk  will  Keep  several 
days,  if  put  in  a  cool  place." 

"What  is  the  difference  between  pasteurizing  and  steril- 
izing?" 

"Well,  in  pasteurizing  the  average  temperature  is  about 
105  degrees  F.  This  temperature  if  kept  up  for  some 
length  of  time  destroys  ordinary  bacteria,  but  not  all 
germs  of  every  description.  To  sterilize  milk  it  must  be 
raised  to  a  temperature  of  212  F.,  which  changes  the  taste 
very  much." 

"This  is  merely  a  process  of  boiling?" 

"Yes;  the  reason  why  people  do  not  succeed  better 
with  these  processes  is  from  the  fact  that  after  sterilizing 
the  milk  they  put  it  in  vessels  that  are  not  sterile ;  whereas 
they  must  not  have  been  only  sterilized,  but  the  cover 
also  must  be  sterile.  In  addition  to  this  they  must  be 
sealed  up  air-tight  as  soon  as  they  are  taken  out  of  the 
sterilizing  apparatus.  It  is  not  much  use  to  sterilize  milk 
and  then  pour  it  out  and  let  it  stand  in  an  open  vessel." 

"What  uses  has  milk  as  an  article  of  diet?" 

"Its  principal  uses  will  be  discussed  under  various  dis- 
eases, but  milk  has  great  value  as  an  article  of  food  in 
health,  as  well  as  disease.  It  is  not,  however,  suitable  for 
an'  exclusive  diet  for  grown  people,  because  it  does  not 
furnish  a  sufficient  quantity  of  heat-producing  material, 
but  being  rich  in  tissue-forming  substances  there  is  no 
•food  equal  to  milk  for  growing  children;   it  also  furnishes 


MILK  AS  FOOD  OR  DRINK  145 

the  most  available  and  one  of  the  most  desirable  additions 
to  either  cereals  or  vegetables." 

"But  most  people  say  it  makes  them  bilious?" 

"There  is  some  foundation  for  this  charge  from  the 
fact  that  milk  does  not  contain  sufificient  waste  ma^^eriaJ 
for  most  people,  and  as  it  is  usually  drunk  in  bulk,  a  glass 
at  a  time,  it  is  apt  to  form  large  curds  in  the  stomach, 
whereas  if  it  is  only  sipped,  a  spoonful  or  swallow  at  a 
time,  the  dilBculty  would  be  entirely  overcome,  and  if 
treated  by  any  of  the  methods  described,  there  are  very 
few  people  with  wiiom  milk  cannot  be  made  to  agree." 

"How  can  its  use  be  varied  so  that  people  will  not  get 
tired  of  it?" 

"There  is  no  particular  objection  to  flavoring  it  with 
anything  that  may  be  agreeable,  such  as  nutmeg  or  cin- 
namon, and  if  necessary  to  use  it  extensively,  it  may  and 
should  form  the  principal  part  of  puddings." 

"Then  you  do  not  consider  milk  of  itself  a  good  drink?" 

"It  is  not  a  good  drink  for  many  people,  although  if 
equal  parts  of  hot  water  and  milk  be  mixed,  there  is  no 
other  drink  that  can  be  taken  at  meal  time  that  can  be 
compared  with  it.  The  merit,  of  course,  is  in  the  milk, 
and  the  hot  water  merely  prevents  the  formation  of  large 
curds.'^ 

"What  other  kinds  of  milk  are  used  in  addition  to  cow's 
milk?" 

"Goat's  milk,  jennet's  milk  and  mare's  milk.  Koumiss 
was  originally  prepared  from  the  latter  in  Russia,  but  its 
use  has  extended  over  all  Europe  and  America,  and  it  is 
now  made  of  cow's  milk." 

"Are  there  not  many  kinds  of  foods  derived  from  milk?" 

"Yes;  butter  is  the  most  favorably  known.  Some  one 
has  remarked  that  if  bread  be  the  staflf  of  life,  butter  is 
its  srolden  head." 


l-f6  BUTTER      BUTTER  MILK 

"Does  butter  agree  with  people  better  tlian  other  kinds 
of  iat?" 

"Butter  is  to  be  preferred  to  any  other  fat  in  general 
use  except  cream,  although  a  very  great  amount  of  diges- 
tive disturbance  results  from  the  improper  use  of  butter." 

"How  is  that?" 

"Well,  if  butter  be  poorly  worked  a  considerable  amount 
of  milk  remains  in  it  which  soon  becomes  rancid.  This 
is  of  course  easy  to  detect  and  the  people  ordinarily  re- 
fuse to  eat  it.  But  while  this  is  true,  it  is  a  common  no- 
tion that  rancid  butter  is  all  right  for  cooking  purposes, 
and  it  is  no  uncommon  thing  to  hear  people  fnquire  of 
produce  dealers  for  cooking  butter." 

"What  wrong  is  there  in  this?" 

"No  wrong,  I  suppose,  in  inquiring  for  it.  The  wrong 
is  in  using  it.  In  the  first  place,  butter  ought  not  to  be 
used  for  cooking  at  all." 

"Why?" 

"Because  heat  bursts  its  fat  globules  and  sets  free  both 
lactic  and  butyric  acid,  and  if  any  one  wants  to  be  cer- 
tainly dyspeptic  all  they  need  to  do  is  to  eat  plenty  of 
fried  food  cooked  in  rancid  butter,  or,  for  that  matter, 
butter  of  any  kind. 

"How  about  buttermilk?  Some  people  say  that  butter- 
milk is  more  wholesome  than  sweet  milk." 

"It  contains  about  the  same  properties  found  in  sweet 
milk,  except,  of  course,  that  it  is  partly  fermented  and  has 
lactic  and  acetic  acid." 

"Is  not  this  a  serious  objection?" 

"That  would  depend  upon  the  kind  of  uacteria  that 
caused  the  fermentation." 

"Why,  then,  should  sour  milk  be  more  easily  digested 
than  sweet?" 

"Only  for  this  reason:   that  in  becoming  sour,  the  parti- 


CHEESE  147 

cles  of  casein  are  much  more  evenly  distributed  than  if 
taken  into  the  stomach  and  curdled  there  by  the  acid  of 
the  stomach;  so  that  sour  milk  has  the  curd  broken  and 
might  be  more  easily  digested  on  that  account." 

"Is  not  sour  milk  also  used  for  making  biscuits?" 

''It  is;  but  it  is  always  more  or  less  difficult  to  know 
just  how  sour  it  is,  so  that  too  much  or  too  little  soda 
may  be  used." 

■'Of  what  is  cheese  made?" 

"Cheese  is  made  of  milk  with  or  without  cream.  'Hie 
milk  is  curdled  by  rennet,  which  is  taken  from  the  stom- 
achs of  slaughtered  animals." 

"Doctor,  cheese  is  said  to  be  a  very  rich  food." 

"So  it  is,  for  it  contains  some  thirty  to  forty  per  cent 
of  tissue-forming  substance  and  from  seven  to  thirty-five 
per  cent  of  fat.  It  also  contains  a  small  amount  of  milk 
sugar  and  ordinarily  about  four  per  cent  of  mineral  mat- 
ter." 

"Why  is  is  that  cheese  disagrees  with  so  many  people?" 

'It  has  been  well  said: 

'That  cheese  is  a, bewitching  little  elf. 

Digesting  everything  except  itself;' 

and  I  have  siphoned  out  the  contents  of  stomachs  six 

hours  after  meals  and  found  everything  digested  except 

the  cheese." 

"How  do  you  account  for  this?" 

"Well,  cheese  is  a  decayed  food  and  probably  excites 
a  greater  flow  of  gastric  juice  than  any  other  common 
food.  The  reason  it  is  not  easily  digested  is  because  it 
is  thoroughly  infested  with  bacteria  that  have  passed 
through  an  acid  fermentation,  and  are,  therefore,  not  read- 
ily acted  upon  by  the  gastric  secretions." 

"Is  cheese,  like  milk,  incompatible  with  acids?" 

"Yes,  more  so;  this  is  especially  true  of  tannic  acids 


148  CHEESE     CONDENSED  MILK 

found  in  blackberries  and  raspberries.  Cheese  eaten  with 
these  will  often  cause  an  attack  of  catarrh  of  the  stomac]i. 
Very  strong  tea  is  incompatible  with  both  cheese  and  milk 
on  account  pf  its  tannic  acid." 

"Doctor,  it  looks  as  though  you  had  cut  cheese  out  of 
all  dietaries." 

"So  I  have;  it  is  not  suitable  to  eat  with  starchy  vege- 
tables; but  a  small  quantity  might  be  eaten  with  meat, 
beans  or  peas." 

"Then  crackers  and  cheese  don't  go  well  together?" 

"No.  If  a  meat  and  egg  diet  be  necessary,  cheese  might 
be  occasionally  added  to  an  advantage;  but  it  does  not 
deserve  an  important  place  as  a  food,  and  must  not  be 
used  at  all  w^hen  the  stomach  is  inflamed." 

"Pot  cheese  contains  about  twenty-five  per  cent  of  tissue- 
forming  elements,  about  seven  per  cent  of  fat  and  consid- 
erable mineral  matter.  When  freshly  made,  it  is  said 
to  be  very  wholesome  and  digestible,  and  quite  similar  to 
buttermilk." 

"How  is  condensed  milk  made?" 

"Condensed  milk  is  made  by  evaporating  ordinary 
milk  at  a  low  temperature  until  it  is  about  the  consistency 
of  honey.  It  has  all  the  properties  of  milk  and  usually 
has  about  forty  per  cent  of  sugar  added  to  it." 

"What  is  the  use  of  adding  the  sugar?" 

"The  sugar  preserves  it  and  makes  it  keep  better  than 
it  otherwise  would." 

"How  long  will  condensed  milk  keep?" 

"Properly  sealed,  it  will  keep  almost  indefinitely." 

"What  is  the  use  of  condensed  milk?" 

"It  is  used  extensively  on  voyages  and  under  other  cir- 
cumstances when  it  is  not  convenient  to  get  fresh  milk. 
It  should  not  be  substituted  for  fresh  milk  except  when 


MALTED  A^ILK     .ICE  Cl^EAM  149 

tinavoidable,  but  it  is  preferable  when  good  milk  is  not 
obtainable,  or  cannot  be  kept  sweet." 

"Malted  milk  is  made  by  evaporting  milk  similar  to  the 
method  of  condensing-  it  and  then  adding  the  malt,  which 
is  a  digestive  agent  made  from  barley  and  wheat.  Malted 
milk  has  great  value  in  many  diseases." 

"Evaporated  cream  is  the  same  as  evaporated  milk,  ex- 
cept that  only  half  or  two-thirds  of  the  cream  is  remoyed, 
whereas,  in  ordinary  evaporated  milk,  it  is  all  removed." 

"There  is  much  discussion  about  the  healthfulness  of 
ice  cream." 

"That  can  easily  be.  because  it  is  used  to  considerable 
extent  in  diseases  of  the  stomach,  especially  ulcer;  at  the 
same  time,  it  is  also  the  source  of  many  digestive  disturb- 
ances." 

"How  do  you  harmonize  these  conflicting  effects?" 

"\\''ell,  it  is  this  way:  Ice  cream  is  made  of  wholesome 
and  nutritious  ingredients  and  where  there  is  inflamma- 
tion, and  the  stomach  in  a  condition  that  no  solid  food 
can  be  taken,  it  has  a  soothing  effect;  but  ordinarily,  ice 
cream  is  eaten  with  much  other  food  and  entirely  too 
quickly,  because  pleasant  to  the  taste,  and  easily  swal- 
lowed. The  stomach  was  never  intended  for  a  refrigerator, 
and  when  so  used,  it  is  often  very  disastrous,  because  it 
arrests  digestion,  and  to  a  certain  extent  paralyzes  the 
nerves  of  the  stomach,  causing  languor  and  headaches, 
and  very  often  catarrh  of  the  stomach  and  diarrhoea.'' 

"Then  you  would  strongly  condemn  it,  or  at  least  as 
ordinarily  used?" 

"Well,  certainly  as  it  is  now  used,  it  does  much  more 
harm  than  good;  but  if  eaten  very  slowly  on  an  empty 
stomach,  or  with  very  little  other  easily  digested  food, 
like  dry  crackers,  there  is  no  reason  why  ice  cream  should 
seriously  injure  any  one,  but  to  people  who  will  swallow^ 


150  MILK  SHAKE 

a  spoonful  at  a  time  and  eat  two  or  three  dishes,  there  is 
ahiiost  certain  to  be  ill  effects  following  its  use." 

"What  is  milk  shake?" 

"Milk  shake  is  made  from  ordinary  milk,  to  which  vari- 
ous flavoring  substances  have  been  added  to  suit  the  taste. 
It  is  then  agitated  at  a  very  rapid  rate,  usually  with  a  ma- 
chine constructed  for  the  purpose,  until  it  is  thoroughly 
aerated." 

"Is  it  a  good  and  healthful  drink?" 

"It  is;  the  aeration  adds  much  to  the  digestibility  of  the 
milk.     It  is  very  palatable,  wholesome  and  nutritious." 


CHAPTER  XIV. 
MEAT. 

The  propriety  or  impropriety  of  slaughtering-  animals  for 
food,  according  to  the  altruistic  views  of  vegetarians,  does 
not  come  within  the  proper  scope  of  this  book;  hence,  we 
have  nothing  to  say  on  this  subject.'' 

"Then  you  believe  in  treating  foods  according  to  their 
merits?'' 

"Yes." 

"What  place  does  meat  deserve  among  our  foods?"' 

"Speaking  in  a  general  way.  it  would  not  be  far  wrong 
to  say  that  it  deserves  the  long  side  of  neglect.'' 

"Why  so?' 

"Because  its  use  is  so  much  abused.'' 

"In  what  way?'' 

''By  cooking  it  until  it  is  indigestible  and  then  eating 
from  three  to  six  times  as  much  as  the  body  needs." 

"Well,  Doctor,  if  you  can  demonstrate  that,  the  butch- 
ers and  doctors  will  both  be  after  you  for  damage  done 
their  business." 

"I  don't  see  it  in  that  way,  for  the  people  will  have  just  as 
much  money  to  spend  and  the  doctor  and  butcher  will 
get  just  as  much  of  it  as  they  do  now,  but  in  some  other 
way." 

"But  where  is  your  proof?*' 

"Well,  to  begin  with,  let  us  examine  the  composition  of 
beef.  It  ranges  as  follows:  Proteid  or  tissue-forming 
substance,  from  thirteen  to  twenty  per  cent;  fat,  from  ten 
to  thirty-three  per  cent;  mineral  matter,  from  one  to  three 
per  cent;  water,  sixtv  to  seventy-five  per  cent.  This  estimate 
is  made  without  the  bone.     It  will  be  seen  from  this,  that 

151 


152  BEEF     COMPOSITION 

the  two  principal  elements  of  beef  are  fat  and  tissue-form- 
ing food  ■' 

"Is  the  fat  valuable?" 

"Not  especially  so.  Beef  fat  is  much  more  solid  than 
many  other  kinds.  It  is  not  particularly  pleasant  to  the 
taste  and  has  nothing  to  recommend  it.  Cream  and  but- 
ter, and  many  other  fats,  are  better  for  general  use." 

"Then  the  value  of  meat  must  be  in  its  tissue-forming 
element?" 

"It  is  principally  so." 

"Then  what  is  your  objection  to  meat?" 

''Well,  as  already  explained,  foods  only  serve  two  pur- 
poses; that  of  repairing  the  waste  of  the  body,  and  fur- 
nishing It  with  fuel.  Now,  if  an  examination  be  made  of 
the  ordinary  diet  of  persons  who  eat  bread  and  potatoes, 
and  more  or  less  of  other  vegetables,  it  will  be  seen  that 
the  per  cent  of  tissue-forming  elements  according  to  prac- 
tical, instead  of  theoretical  standards,  is  not  much  too 
low."' 

"Then,  if  it  is  not  needed  in  the  system,  what  becomes 
of  it?" 

'Tt  must  be  converted  into -tissue,  heat,  or  be  excreted, 
and  as  many  have  a  tendency  to  eat  too  much  heat  or 
force-producing  food,  the  surplus  cannot,  in  such  cases, 
be  converted  into  heat,  but  must  be  excreted  from  the 
system." 

"In  what  way?" 

"By  the  kidneys  in  the  form  of  uric  acid  and  urea." 

"How  about  the  savages  who  live  almost  exclusively 
on  meat?" 

"There  is  no  doubt  but  what  their  strength  and  endur- 
ance was  of  a  very  high  character,  but  that  is  easily  ex- 
plained. The  Indian,  in  his  original  savage  state,  was  not 
cursed  with  the  frying  pan,  nor  was  he  handicapped  by 


BEEF  EATING  153 

hereditary  weaknesses  common  to  the  frailties  of  civiliza- 
tion. But  these  are  not  the  principal  reasons.  It  was  his 
out-door  life,  roaming  over  forests,  mountains  and  valleys, 
that  gave  him  a  vigor  of  constitution  which  made  it  possi- 
ble to  live  on  any  kind  of  a  diet  which  furnished  the  neces- 
sary nutriment." 

"Then  injury  from  meat  is  not  apparent,  provided  it  be 
wholly  used  up  in  the  system?" 

"That  is  it;  but  the  fact  that  it  isn't  used  up  makes  us 
deal  with  conditions  just  as  we  find  them." 

"What  is  the  consequence  when  the  surplus  of  meat  is 
not  used  up  and  has  to  be  thrown  out  of  the  svstem  bv  the 
kidneys?" 

"Well,  that  may  go  on  for  a  considerable  time  without 
any  apparent  injury,  while  in  many  people,  some  disorder 
would  be  noticed  at  once.  It  has  been  learned  by  one  of 
the  greatest  physicians  of  England  that  headaches,  asthma, 
rheumatism  and  many  other  of  the  common  ailments, 
are,  to  a  large  extent,  due  to  the  defective  excretion  of 
nitrogenous  waste  matter  from  excessive  use  of  meats." 

"How  is  it  that  trainers  for  athletic  contests  use  meat 
almost  exclusively?" 

"No  person  having  regard  for  the  truth  could  fail  to 
speak  of  these  matters  as  they  are,  and  it  is  not  my  pur- 
pose to  advocate  any  food  merely  to  support  a  theory." 

"Then  you  recognize  that  trainers  have  gotten  good  re- 
sults from  a  meat  diet?" 

'"There  is  no  doubt  of  that,  any  more  than  that  good 
results  have  been  obtained  without  meat." 

"But,  Doctor,  you  say  that  the  evds  resulting  from  meat 
diet  are  great.  How  do  you  harmonize  that  with  what 
you  have  said  about  the  diet  of  athletes?" 

"That  is  easy  enough.     The  conditions  under  which  a 


154  BEEF  FOR  ATHLETES 

prize  fighter  is  trained  are  very  different  from  the  ordinary 
individual." 

"In  what  way?" 

"Well,  for  a  prize  fighter,  the  greatest  care  is  taken  in 
the  selection  and  preparation  of  his  foods,  and  the  food 
is  supplied  in  amounts  exactly  suitable  for  his  condition. 
Then  in  addition  to  this,  the  great  amount  of  physical  ex- 
ercise burns  up  or  uses  up  every  bit  of  food  taken  into  the 
system,  and  besides  the  exercise,  the  baths  and  massage 
make  the  skin  very  active  in  eliminating  the  efifete  tissue. 
Such  conditions  cannot  be  compared  in  any  way  with  ordi- 
nary living." 

"You  spoke  of  the  athletes  having  their  meat  very  care- 
fully prepared." 

"The  greatest  care  is  taken  in  cooking  meat  for  a  prize 
fighter,  and  it  is  usually  done  in  this  way:  Three  choice 
steaks  are  cut,  placed  together  and  put  on  the  broiler; 
the  first  coming  in  contact  with  the  fire  until  it  is  cooked, 
and  then  the  three  are  turned  over  so  that  the  top  steak 
is  brought  in  contact  with  the  broiler.  The  middle  steak 
is  cooked  from  the  heat  of  the  other  two,  and  besides  ab- 
sorbs more  or  less  of  their  juices." 

"Then  the  prize  fighter  eats  the  middle  steak?" 

"Yes,  he  gets  the  best  and  the  rest  is  either  thrown 
away  or  fed  to  admiring  animals  not  in  training." 
cooking  all  meats?" 

"Why  not  apply  this  principle,  as  far  as  possible,  to 

"It  should  be.  There  is  no  article  of  food  so  badly 
cooked  as  meat.  Tender,  raw  meat  is,  comparatively 
speaking,  easily  digested;  but  meat  cooked  until  it  is  solid, 
especially  if  it  be  fried,  is  very  difftcult  to  digest,  and  some- 
times seems  absolutely  indigestible." 

"Why  is  it  worse  to  fry  it  than  to  cook  it  in  other  ways?" 

"Well,  a  very  important  part  of  the  digestion  of  meat 


HOW  TO  COOK  MEAT  155 

should  take  place  in  the  stomach,  while  fats  are  not  di- 
gested there  at  all.  Now,  to  coat  the  food  that  the  juices 
of  the  stomach  act  on,  with  fat,  amounts  to  smuggling  it 
through  the  stomach  without  digestion.  Of  course,  this 
is  not  absolutely  so,  but  the  tendency  is  strongly  in  that 
direction,  especially  for  persons  of  weak  stomachs.  This 
explains  why  lean  meat  that  is  fried  until  it  is  hard,  is 
such  a  fruitful  source  of  dyspeptic  troubles." 

"How  should  meats  be  cooked?" 

"Well,  if  soup  is  desired,  the  meat  should  be  covered 
with  cold  water  and  gradually  warmed  and  then  stewed 
at  a  low  temperature  until  the  meat  is  sufficiently  tender. 
The  way  to  make  a  roast  tender,  is  to  first  immerse  it  in 
boiling  water  and  then  put  in  an  oven  and  roast  at  a 
low  temperature." 

"What  is  the  object  in  this?" 

"The  object  is  to  coagulate  or  sear  the  entire  outer  por- 
tion of  the  meat  so  that  no  juices  can  escape." 

"Can  this  be  done  in  any  other  way?" 

"Yes,  by  putting  it  into  an  oven  that  is  very  hot,  or  by 
enveloping  the  meat  in  a  layer  of  dough,  which  accom- 
plishes the  same  result.  The  whole  object  is  to  cook  the 
surface  of  the  meat  and  form  such  a  coating  as  will  not 
allow  either  heat  or  juices  to  escape.  Then,  after  the  sur- 
face is  treated  in  this  way,  the  meat  should  be  cooked  at 
a  low  temperature.     This  will  make  it  much  more  tender." 

"How  about  cooking  steaks?" 

*The  same  principle  applies  to  steaks.  The  only  way 
to  cook  a  steak  is  to  broil  it — frying  is  abominable.  Steak 
should  be  cut  thick  and  put  on  a  broiler — charcoal  pre- 
ferred— and  cooked  on  one  side  and  then  turned  over  and 
broiled  on  the  other  quickly,  so  as  to  preserve  the  natural 
juice  of  the  meat.     It  may  be  skillet-broiled  the  same  way." 

"Then  you  would  add  butter  to  it  afterwards?" 


156  BEEF  TEA     BROTHS 

"Well,  the  practice  of  adding  butter  (often  strong  at 
that)  would  seem  to  be  a  very  bad  one,  because  it  is  al- 
ways objectionable  to  heat  butter,  and  the  flavor  of  the 
meat  is  quite  equal  or  superior  to  the  flavor  of  the  butter. 
If  butter  be  added  while  hot,  it  is  about  as  objectionable 
as  if  fried." 

"Beef  tea  is  a  preparation  extensively  used  for  the  sick, 
but  as  ordinarily  made  it  has  very  little  nutritive  value." 

"What  is  wrong  with  the  ordinary  methods?" 

"In  order  to  get  the  solid  matter  out  of  meat,  it  must 
be  macerated  in  cold  water.  If  a  great  deal  of  heat  be 
applied,  it  simply  coagulates  the  proteid  elements  and 
makes  them  solid,  and  keeps  all  the  valuable  part  sealed 
in  the  particles  of  meat,  instead  of  dissolving  in  the  water. 
The  meat  extracts  of  commerce  are  made  by  chopping  the 
meat  into  fine  particles,  and  then  adding  sufificient  amount 
of  cold  water  to  soak  thoroughly.  Of  course  more  of 
the  solid  matter  would  be  dissolved,  if  the  meat  is  occa- 
sionally bruised  a  little.  After  it  has  stood  for  some  hours 
it  is  pressed  so  that  as  much  solid  matter  as  possible  is 
gotten  out  of  the  meat  in  this  way.  Where  no  press  is  at 
hand,  the  macerated  meat  may  be  put  in  a  coarse  cotton 
or  linen  cloth  and  the  juice  squeezed  out  with  a  lemon 
squeezer.  It  should  then  be  cooked  at  a  low  temperature 
and  flavored  to  suit.     "Not  much  cooking  is  required. 

"Beef  broth  is  made  by  stewing  beef  bones  and  gristly 
substances  with  portions  of  meat.  If  they  are  first  soaked 
in  cold  water,  and  cooked  at  a  low  temperature,  the  water 
will  absorb  much  more  from  the  bones  and  the  soup  be 
much  richer  and  more  palatable." 

"How  do  you  make  meat  powder,  or  scraped  meat?" 

"One  way  is  to  scrape  the  meat  of  a  tender  beef-steak 
that  has  been  broiled  according  to  directions  heretofore 
given.     The  small  particles  that  are  gotten  out  of  the 


VISCERA  157 

steak  with  a  dull  knife  or  spoon,  arc  quite  nutritious,  while 
no  considerable  amount  of  coarse  matter  is  taken  up  in 
this  way. .  Another  way  to  treat  meat  is  to  chop  it  fine, 
cook  and  dry  by  slow  fire  for  several  hours  and  then  grind 
it  in  a  mill  until  it  is  reduced  to  a  fine  powder.  All  of 
these  methods  of  treating  beef  may  be  useful  in  typhoid 
fevers,  or  even  in  lingering  illness  of  any  kind." 

"Are  there  not  many  parts  of  the  animal  used  for  food 
besides  the  flesh?" 

"Yes;  the  pancreas,  thyroid  gland,  what  is  known  as  the 
third  stomach  of  the  cow,  called  tripe,  the  heart,  liver, 
kidneys,  brains  and  sometimes  the  blood.'' 

"What  is  the  sweetbread?" 

"Strictly  speaking  the  sweetbread  is  the  thyroid  gland, 
although  the  pancreas  is  known  and  sold  by  that  name." 

"Have  these  any  food  value?" 

"The  sweetbread  is  said  to  have  considerable  value,  is 
easily  digested  and  is  supposed  to  have  a  great  deal  of 
merit  in  regulating  certain  disorders  of  nutrition." 

"What  about  tripe?" 

"Tlie  Germans  eat  tripe,  but  not  many  Americans.  It 
is  very  similar  to  meat,  but  is  more  easily  digested. 

"The  heart  is  considered  very  tough  and  undesirable  as 
a  food,  although  it  is  very  rich  in  tissue-forming  material." 

"Doctor,  I  suppose  the  liver  is  more  extensively  used 
as  food  than  any  other  organs  of  the  animals?" 

"Yes;  a  great  many  people  are  fond  of  liver,  and  it  is 
much  more  tender  than  either  the  heart  or  meat,  but  is 
less  nutritious.  If  the  liver  and  the  kidneys  are  cooked  for 
a  great  length  of  time,  they  become  tough  and  difificult 
to  digest.  Many  people  are  fond  of  animal  brains.  The 
constituents  are  very  similar  to  that  of  eggs,  only  perhaps 
somewhat  richer  in  fat.  The  blood  is  not  used  to  any  ex- 
tent in  this  countrv,  but  it  is  used  as  a  food  in  foreign 


158  GELATINE     VEAL 

countries.     Tongue  is  largely  fat  and  is  about  as  hard  lo 
digest  as  fat  pork." 

"As  gelatine  is  an  article  of  commerce,  I  suppose  the 
people  would  be  glad  to  know  something  about  its  prop- 
erties.    What  can  you  say  of  it,  Doctor?" 

"Gelatine  is  an  important  part  of  bones,  tendons  and 
ligaments,  and  it  is  from  these  that  the  gelatine  of  com- 
merce is  manufactured.  It  is  somewhat  dififerent  from 
meat,  and  will  not  of  irself  support  life,  but  it  is  a  very 
valuable  food  and  is  easily  digested.  The  Keystone  gela- 
tine, made  by  the  Alichigan  Carbon  Co.,  is  much  superior 
to  gelatine  formerly  sold." 

"Is  it  not  used  extensively  in  making  jellies?" 
"Yes,  it  is.  Ordinary  jellies  that  are  manufactured  and 
sold  through  the  trade,  are  mainly  gelatine  colored  and 
flavored,  and  very  often  with  essential  oils  nistead  of  fruit 
flavors.  They  are  much  more  easily  digested  than  home- 
made fruit  jellies,  but  much  less  palatable." 

"How  does  veal  compare  with  beef  as  a  food?" 
"One  would  naturally  suppose  that  veal  would  be  very 
much  more  easily  digested,  and  in  every  way  superior  to 
beef,  because  calves  for  veal  are  young  and  tender." 
"How  does  the  composition  compare  with  that  of  beef?" 
"Veal  contains  considerable  less  fat  than  beef;  other- 
wise, the  per  cent  of  tissue-forming  substance  is  about  the 
same  as  that  of  round  steak,  but  is  not  so  easily  digested." 
"Why  Is  it  not  far  more  digestible,  being  so  much  more 
tender?" 

"That  is  a  matter  in  wiiich  authorities  do  not  quite  agree. 
Veal  is  much  more  favored  in  Europe  than  it  is  in  this 
countrv,  and  the  only  reason  that  can  be  given  why  veal 
should  disagree  with  people  is  because  of  the  closeness 
of  its  texture,  and  it  is  probable  that  it  is  due  to  this  fact 
that  the  digestive  juices  of  the  stomach  do  not  penetrate 


MUTTON  159 

it  as  quickly  as  ordinary  beef  or  any  other  fresh  meat." 
"Doctor,  you  speak  of  mutton  as  though  it  was  a  com- 
mon article  of  food.  It  may  be  that  you  have  not  boarded 
much,  and  therefore  are  not  acquainted  witli  the  fact  tliat 
it  is  lamb  that  is  universally  used  and  not  mutton ;  at  least 
it  is  always  lamb  on  the  bills-of-fare." 

"One  would  think  that  lamb  was  too  innocent  a  subject 
for  use  in  perpetrating  a  fraud." 

"In  what  way  does  mutton  differ  from  beef?" 
"It  does  not  differ  materially  from  beef  except  in  flavor. 
It  is  supposed  to  contain  more  fat  and  less  mineral  sub- 
stance, but  the  difference  is  not  great.     Mutton  is  about 
as  difiticult  to  digest  as  beef,  althougl),the  fat  is  still  firmer 
and  more  likely  to  disagree  than  the  fat  of  other  animals." 
'■'At  what  age  does  the  sheep  make  the  best  meat?'' 
''It  is  said  that  animals  at  least  three  years  old  make 
the  best  mutton,  and  that  the  main  reason  for  the  superi- 
ority of  mutton  produced  in  England  is  due  to  the  greater 
age  of  the  animals.     Mutton  is  said  to  be  somewhat  con- 
stipating, but  it  is  doubtful  if  it  is  more  so  than  other  lean 
meats." 

"Venison  from  a  young  deer  is  believed  to  be  the  most 
palatable  and  easiest  to  digest  of  all  meats;  but  as  few 
people  have  an  opportunity  to  eat  venison,  its  composi- 
tion is  not  a  matter  of  great  importance,  although  it  is 
very  similar  to  that  of  lean  beef." 

"Doctor,  why  does  meat  spoil  so  quickly?" 
"That  is  partly  due  to  the  blood  that  is  in  it.     The  pre- 
vailing method  of  slaughtering  animals  is  to  shoot  them 
or  strike  them  a  blow  in  the  head.     This  is  a  good  method 
for  the  butcher,  but  not  for  the  meat." 
"\Miy  so?" 

"Because  the  shock  paralyzes  the  body  and  keeps  in 
most  of  the  blood,  thereby  increasing  the  weight  of  the 


160  METHOD  OF  SLAUGHTERING 

meat.  If  animals  are  bled  to  death  the  meat  is  superior 
in  quality  and  will  keep  longer  and  it  is  really  a  more  hu- 
mane way  to  slaughter  them." 


CHAPTER  XV. 
PORK. 

"Doctor,  you  are  not  going  to  forget  the  hog,  are  you?" 

"No,  I  see  him  too  often  for  that;  but  I  guess  you  mean 
pork." 

"Yes,  I  mean  the  porker." 

"Pork  probably  forms  the  most  important  part  of  a 
meat  eater's  diet;  at  least,  more  people  eat  pork  than 
beef." 

"A  great  many  people  say  pork  is  not  fit  to  eat?" 

"Yes;  some  people  say  the  same  thing  of  beef, 
while  there  are  others  who  say  that  neither  is  fit  to  eat." 

"But  why  should  there  be  more  prejudice  against  pork 
than  other  meats?" 

"Well,  it  may  be  that  some  people  believe  that  the  devils 
that  were  driven  into  the  swine  are  still  there,  but  most 
likely  the  prejudice  to  pork  is  because  of  the  amount  of 
fat  it  contains." 

"Does  not  fat  have  as  much  place  as  lean  meat  for  a 
proper  diet?" 

"The  needs  of  the  system  for  fat  are  certainly  just  as 
urgent  as  for  lean  meat,  but  from  the  fact  that  ordinarily 
it  does  not  require  as  much  fat  as  lean,  it  is  for  that  rea- 
son supposed,  by  many,  to  be  unnecessary.  I'hen  again, 
many  people  take  the  fats  needed  in  the  form  of  butter, 
cream  or  oils." 

"What  real  value  has  fat  for  food?" 

"Well,  that  will  be  treated  under  fats  and  oils.  This 
much,  however,  might  be  said,  that  fat  for  many  people 
is  somewhat  nauseating." 

"Why  so'" 

161 


162  FAT  AND  LEAN  MEAT 

^That  is  exceedingly  difficult  to  determine,  but  one  thing 
is  well  known,  that  when  consumption  has  once  taken 
hold,  it  frequently  happens  that  one  of  the  first  and  most 
noticeable  signs  is  repugnance  to  fat.  Just  why  it  should 
cause  nausea,  is  difficult  to  say." 

"Don't  fat  agree  with  some  people  better  than  lean?" 

"Yes,  it  does.  Some  people  have  good  pancreatic  di- 
gestion and  can  therefore  eat  fat  meat  and  starches  with- 
out the  slightest  feeling  of  discomfort,  while  the  same  per- 
son may  not  be  able  to  tolerate  any  lean  meat  without 
feeling  great  distress,  such  as  weight  in  tlie  stomach,  etc." 

"What  efTect  has  the  fat  meat  as  compared  witli  the 
lean?" 

"Well,  the  primary  or  first  use  of  lean  meat  is  to  supply 
tissue,  while  that  of  fat  is  to  supply  heat,  although  fat  en- 
ters into  many  tissues,  but  does  not  form  the  frame-work 
or  connective  part." 

"Then  the  reason  that  pork  is  more  difficult  to  digest  is 
because  of  the  excess  of  fat  it  contains?" 

"That  is  probably  the  principal  reason,  although  pork 
is  a  firmer  meat  than  beef,  and  is,  therefore,  naturally 
more  difficult  to  disintegrate." 

"How  about  the  composition  of  pork?" 

"Well,  it.  does  not  dififer  greatly  from  ordinary  beef  in 
amount  of  tissue-forming  food,  but  has  from  double  to 
three  times  tTie  amount  of  fat,  but  less  water." 

"The  question  naturally  arises  whether  salt  meat  or 
fresh  meat  is  the  most  healthful?" 

"That  is  easy  to  settle  so  far  as  digestion  is  concerned. 
Salt  in  considerable  amount  itself  retards  digestion.  Be- 
sides that,  meats  that  have  been  heavily  salted  become  very 
firm.  It  follows  then,  that  if  salted  meat  be  fried,  the 
salt,  together  with  the  process  of  frying,  makes  the  meat 
almost  or  entirely  indigestible.     The  objection  to  fried 


SALT  MEAT      BACON      HAM  163 

meat  has  already  been  explained,  but  perliaps  it  ought  to 
be  repeated  so  many  times  that  the  people  would  get  tired 
of  seeing  it,  because  there  is  no  one  article  of  food  which 
does  so  much  mischief  as  fried  meat.  Fat  bacon  not  in- 
cluded." 

"How  then  would  you  treat  bacon?" 

"Bacon,  if  all  fat,  is  comparatively  easy  to  digest,  and 
would  not  be  more  diflicult  than  any  of  the  other  fats, 
and  while  frying  is  objectionable  for  bacon,  it  is  far  less 
so  than  for  lean  meat.  Broiled  bacon  is  comparatively 
easily  digested,  and  if  fat  food  be  needed,  it  is  well-nigh 
as  valuable  as  butter  or  cream." 

"Suppose  ham  or  pork  be  boiled?" 

"Boiled  ham  is  as  good  as  other  meat,  for  the  boiling 
takes  up  a  considerable  portion  of  the  salt  and  makes  the 
meat  much  more  soluble;  in  fact,  there  is  no  comparison 
between  boiled  and  fried  ham.  In  certain  diseases  of  the 
stomach,  boiled  ham  is  the  most  useful  of  all  meats." 

"How  about  the  composition  of  ham?" 

"It  has  about  the  same  general  composition  as  pork — -IG 
or  18  per  cent,  of  tissue-forming  food;  and  35  to  40  per 
cent  of  fat." 

"Is  fresh  pork  a  good  article  of  diet?" 

"It  might  do  very  well  for  people  who  have  been  around 
the  world  four  or  five  times." 

"But  not  many  people  have  been  around  the  world  that 
many  times." 

"That's  the  point." 

"Doctor,  I  suppose  that  chickens  and  turkeys  stand  first 
among  common  meats?" 

"That  is  true;  for  the  chicken  is  always  an  easy  victim, 
and  can  be  caught  and  forced  into  the  pot  after  company 
comes." 


164  FOWL 

"But  that  don't  make  it  good.  What  is  its  value  as 
food?"' 

"Of  all  the  meat  foods,  it  is  the  richest  in  tissue-formers. 
It  contains  only  a  very  small  per  cent  of  fat,  is  not  very 
tough,  and  there  are  no  unusual  difficulties  or  objections 
to  it.  We  can  therefore  say  that  on  the  whole,  it  is  the 
most  digestible  of  all  the  common  meats.  The  dark  meat 
of  a  chicken  is  richer  and  more  difihcult  to  digest  than  the 
white." 

"What  is  the  difference  between  the  chicken  and  the 
turkey?'' 

"The  turkey  contains  more  fat,  but  both  contain  on  an 
average  nearly  twenty-five  per  cent  of  tissue-forming  food. 
The  chicken,  ordinarily,  has  only  three  or  four  per  cent  of 
fat,  w^hile  the  turkey  has  eight  or  ten." 

"Are  chickens  and  turkeys  different  from  ducks  and 
geese?" 

"Not  very  different,  except  that  both  ducks  and  geese 
contain  more  fat.  This  is  especially  true  of  the  goose,  for 
it  has  been  known  to  be  more  than  one-third  fat.  Fowls 
like  turkeys  and  geese,  containing  a  large  amount  of  fat, 
are  less  digestible  than  chicken." 

"How  does  wild  game,  such  as  pigeons,  quails  and  part- 
ridges, compare  with  chicken?" 

"The  properties  are  about  the  same,  only  as  a  rule  they 
are  more  tender." 

"How  should  these  various  kinds  of  fowls  be  cooked?" 

"By  stewing  or  roasting.  It  is  just  as  objectionable  to 
fry  chickens  as  it  is  beef,  for  the  same  reason;  that  is, 
that  the  fat,  to  some  extent,  prevents  the  action  of  diges- 
tive juices  in  the  stomach." 

"Doctor,  fish  is  ordinarily  considered  a  much  lighter 
diet  than  meat;  is  there  good  reason  for  this  belief?" 

"\\'ell,  there  is  an  occasional  person  with  whom   fish 


FISH  165 

does  not  agree,  alttiough  fish  is  far  less  objectionable  as 
an  article  of  diet  than  meat." 

"On  what  ground?" 

''Because  fish  is  much  more  easily  digested — their  fiber 
is  shorter.  They  contain  ordinarily  only  a  small  per  cent 
of  fat,  a  considerable  amount  of  phosphorus,  and  do  not 
produce  the  many  ill  efifects  resulting  from  uric  acid  ten- 
dencies common  to  an  ordinary  meat  diet.'' 

"How  does  fish  compare  with  beef  or  pork?" 

"Fresh  fish  has  about  the  same  amount  of  tissue-forming 
substance  as  good  steak,  but  ordinarily  not  more  than  half 
as  much  fat." 

"Then  you  strongly  recommend  fish  as  an  article  of  tTiet 
in  place  of  meat?" 

'Tt  would  be  far  better  for  meat  eaters  if  they  ate  less 
beef  and  pork,  and  more  fish." 

"Are  there  any  diseases  in  which  fish  have  particular 
value  as  food?" 

"Yes;  in  diseases  of  the  kidneys,  such  as  Bright's  dis- 
ease; also  in  gout  and  other  diseases." 

"How  should  fish  be  cooked?" 

"Broiled  or  baked.  It  is  just  as  objectionable  to  fry 
fish  as  any  other  kind  of  meat." 

"Are  there  any  people  who  eat  reptiles?" 

"None  but  savage  races,  although  the  Europeans  and 
Americans  and  other  races  are  fond  of  turtles,  which 
really  belong  to  the  general  class  of  reptiles." 

"Is  the  turtle  a  good  article  of  food?" 

"It  is  very  smiilar  in  composition  to  chicken,  only  the 
oil  and  the  flavoring  matter  is  more  pronounced,  and  for 
those  who  like  turtles,  this  is  probably  the  reason  why  they 
prefer  the  turde  to  most  other  kinds  of  meat." 

"Are  there  no  other  kinds  of  food  that  should  be  classed 
with  meats?" 


166  SHELL  FISH 

"Yes,  there  is  probably  no  food  in  any  class  that  is  so 
universally  liked  as  oysters.  As  the  Irishman  facetiously 
remarked,  'the  oyster  is  the  favorite  American  bird  ' " 

"Why  is  this?" 

"Doubtless  because  of  the  richness  of  its  flavor.  There 
is  nothing  extraordinary  about  it  otherwise." 

"Some  people  believe  oystersjo  be  very  nutritious." 

"Pound  for  pound,  they  are  only  about  half  as  nutritious 
as  beefsteak,  and  not  more  digestible,  unless  eaten  raw. 

"Why  better  raw  than  cooked?^ 

"For  this  reason:  When  an  oyster  is  stewed  a  portion 
of  it  becomes  quite  tough;  instead  of  being  easily  digested, 
it  is  diflficult." 

"Are  they  not  better  when  roasted?" 

"If  the3'  can  be  roasted  in  the  shell  and  only  lightly 
cooked,  they  should  be  almost  as  digestible  as  when  eaten 
raw." 

"To  what  class  of  foods  do  they  belong?" 

"Tissue-formers.  They  furnish  very  little  fat  or  fuel  for 
the  body  and  should  only  be  eaten  with  bread,  potatoes, 
or  cereals  of  some  kind." 

"How  should  they  be  cooked?" 

"Roasting  is  preferable.  If  not  convenient  to  roast,  they 
may  either  be  baked  or  stewed,  but  never  fried." 

"What  about  eating  them  with  various  kinds  of  pickles?" 

"The  pickles  would  be  very  likely  to  disagree  if  the  oys- 
ters did  not.  If  anything  sour  is  desired,  they  should  be 
eaten  with  lemon  juice." 

"I  have  heard  of  cases  of  poisoning  by  oysters." 

"Yes,  that  sometimes  happens  when  the  water  around 
the  oyster  bed  has  been  contaminated.  They  have  been 
known  to  cause  an  epidemic  of  typhoid  fever,  but  they 
are  not  so  likely  to  cause  disorders  of  digestion  as  the 
lobster,  or  crab.     Shell  fish  are  scavengers,  and  many  urge 


FISH  POISONING  167 

that  their  use  be  discontinued  because  of  the  many  cases 
of  poisoning  produced  by  their  use." 

"The  lobster  is  the  most  likely  to  i)roducc  illness?" 

"Yes,  lobsters  are  more  likely  to  disagree  with  weak 
stomachs  and  cause  violent  attacks  of  indigestion  than  al- 
most any  other  food.  All  shell-fisii,  and  other  fish  too, 
for  that  matter,  seem  to  be  particular!}-  bad  when  tainted 
with  decay,  so  that  there  is  hard'y  any  sul:)stance  which  we 
could  eat,  more  likely  to  poison  than  tainted  fish,  whether 
it  be  canned  salmon,  oysters,  lobsters,  or  any  kind  of  fish 
whatever.  Everything  in  the  way  of  fish  is  better  if  used 
fresh.  They  should  be  carefully  kept  in  ice  in  warm 
weather." 

"Doctor,  I  suppose  you  will  attack  the  egg  with  great 
vigor,  and  probably  shell  it  out  of  its  house  and  home?" 

"You  have  hit  it  eggsactly,"  said  the  doctor,  "although 
at  times  it  takes  a  great  deal  of  courage  to  face  it." 

"Well,  Doctor,  I  like  to  face  them  if  fried  with  good 
ham." 

"Ham  and  eggs  is  a  favorite  combination,  but  a  pro- 
lific source  of  dyspepsia." 

"I  thought  eggs  were  the  easiest  of  all  foods  to  digest." 

"Yes,  that  is  the  general  belief.  A  raw  egg  is,  but  a 
fried  one  belongs  to  the  class  of  never  or  forever." 

"Why  are  fried  eggs  so  bad?" 

"Because  every  bit  of  heat  that  is  applied  to  an  egg 
makes  it  harder,  and  when  it  is  fried  for  a  time,  it  is 
very  much  like  leather.  Then  if  to  this  condition  fat  be 
added  until  it  is  thoroughly  saturated,  it  becomes  as  dif- 
ficult to  digest  as  hard  fried  ham,  and  the  two  together  are 
enough  to  send  anybody  to  the  doctor." 

"I  have  always  understood  that  the  egg  was  very  nu- 
tritious?" 

"So  it  is,  but  it  has  been  overestimated  by  a  great  many 


168  EGG 

people.  It  furnishes  all  the  necessar\'  elements  for  the 
life  of  a  chick,  and  has  therefore  all  that  is  necessary  to 
support  the  life  of  an  individual." 

"Then  eggs  ought  to  be  one  of  the  most  useful  of  all 
the  articles  of  diet?" 

"Yes,  they  are  useful;  at  the  same  time,  there  are  some 
objections  to  them." 

"What  are  they?" 

"They  contain  almost  the  smallest  amount  of  waste 
matter  of  any  food,  and  are  therefore  constipating.  A 
great  many  people  dare  not  eat  them  on  this  account." 

"Is  there  no  way  of  overcoming  this  difficulty?" 

"There  is  no  way  of  changing  the  egg.  The  only  thing 
that  can  be  done  is  to  eat  them  in  small  quantities,  say 
one  at  a  time  with  food  containing  a  large  amount  of  waste 
matter,  such  as  the  cereals  with  part  of  their  bran,  or  with 
coarse  vegetables." 

"Doctor,  I  have  often  known  people  who  were  told  not 
to  eat  meat,  and  they  thought  they  were  not  disobeying 
when  they  ate  eggs." 

"In  that  case,  they  kept  the  letter  of  the  command,  but 
not  the  spirit,  for  practically  eggs  are  the  same  as  meat." 

"In  what  way  do  they  differ  from  meat?" 

"Well,  eggs  have  about  fifteen  per  cent  tissue-forming 
substance,  and  twelve  per  cent  fat.  This  is  only  a  trifle 
below  that  of  ordinary  steak,  with  which  they  favorably 
compare. 

"Which  contains  the  least  waste  matter,  meat  or  eggs?" 

"Meat  is  less  constipating  than  eggs,  although  if  there 
be  a  tendency  to  headaches  and  what  is  known  as  uric  acid 
condition  of  the  blood,  eggs  are  much  less  objectionable 
than  meat." 

"Then  eggs  properly  go  with  a  vegetable  diet?" 


USE  OF  FAT  169 

"Yes,  meat  and  eg:£:^s  make  the  diet  too  strong  on  the 
side  of  tissue-forming  food." 

"Have  eggs  any  other  special  value?" 

"They  are  good  for  a  quick  lunch,  or  rather  a  drink. 
One  or  two  raw  eggs  with  the  juice  of  half  a  lemon  makes 
an  admirable  drink,  and  if  one  is  greatly  crowded  for  time 
there  is  nothing  more  suitable  than  egg  lemonade." 

"Why  is  this?" 

"Because  it  does  not  require  any  mastication,  and  the 
acid  helps  digest  it.  They  are  easily  digested,  and  no 
injury  results,  because  they  are  swallowed  in  a  hurry, 
which  would  not  be  the  case  with  any  other  food." 

"Since  you  say  that  eggs  must  not  be  fried,  I  suppose 
you  advocate  that  they  be  boiled  or  poached?" 

"Eggs  may  be  boiled,  poached,  roasted  or  baked 
(called  shirred),  and  you  can  lay  down  a  general  rule 
that  the  less  an  egg  is  cooked,  especially  the  white,  the 
better,  although  the  yolk  will  stand  cooking  until  it  be- 
comes mealy.'' 

"With  the  exception  of  milk,  eggs  are  the  best  for  feed- 
ing the  sick,  and  are  sometimes  better  than  milk.  Albu- 
men water  is  made  by  stirring  the  whites  of  eggs  in  water. 
A  pinch  of  salt  and  a  little  flavoring  may  be  added. 
Equal  parts  milk  and  egg  is  much  more  nourishing  than 
milk  alone.  The  yolk  of  eggs  is  richer  than  the  white, 
and  should  be  used  largely  where  a  very  rich  diet  is  nec- 
essary, as  in  consumption,  anaemia,  and  other  diseases." 

"Doctor,  a  great  many  people  do  not  distinguish  be- 
tween fat  and  flesh." 

"That  is  true,  but  there  is  a  great  difference." 

"Will  you  kindly  explain  it?" 

"Fat  is  both  fuel  and  covering  for  the  body,  and  before 
a  person  dies  of  starvation  about  eighty  or  ninety  per 
cent  of  it  will  be  used  up.     The  principal  use  for  fats  when 


170  FATS  AND  OILS 

taken  into  the  system  is  for  these  purposes." 

"There  is  not  much  waste  matter  then  in  them?" 
"No,  there  is  practically  none  at    all.     Fats    that    are 
taken  into  the  system  as  food,  if  absorbed,  are  either 
stored,  or  burned  up  in  the  production  of  heat  and  force." 
"How  much  of  the  system  is  composed  of  fat?" 
"An  average  person  is  supposed  to  be  about  one-fifth 
fat,  although  many  people  have  a  much  higher  per  cent." 
"You  say  that  fat  is  used  as  a  covering  for  the  body?" 
"Yes,  fat  prevents  the  radiation  of  heat,  and  this  is  the 
reason  why  a  fat  person  usually  eats  less  and  requires  less 
clothing  to  keep  warm." 

"What  kind  of  foods  produce  fat?" 
"All  the  fats  and  oils,  both  animal  and  vegetable,  to- 
gether with  starch  and  sugar." 
"Has  fat  any  other  use?" 

"It  is  of  use  in  giving  persons  a  comely  appearance,  and 
also  for  storing  energy,  so  that  in  the  event  of  illness  or 
deprivation  of  food,  life  can  be  sustained  for  a  consider- 
able length  of  time  without  any  food  at  all.  I  suppose 
that  most  persons  are  familiar  with  the  fasting  experiment 
of  Tanner,  who  lived  forty  days  without  taking  any  food 
except  water." 

"Is  there  any  material  difference  between  the  fats  and 
the  oils?" 

"Only  a  slight  difference.  They  have  essentially  the 
same  composition  whether  they  be  animal  or  vegctaljle 
oils." 

"Why  is  it  that  fats  disagree  with  so  many  people?" 
"That  is  quite  difficult  to  answer,  but  it  is  believed  that 
when  a  considerable  quantity  of  fat  is  taken  with  the 
food,  that  it  coats  the  food  and  prevents  the  action  of  the 
digestive  juices  in  the  stomach,  very  much  as  it  does  w-ith 
fried  meats,  although  most  persons  can  eat  a  fair  amount 


FREE  FATS  171 

of  fat  taken  as  butter  or  cream.  Such  fats  as  butter,  lard, 
and  oil,  are  called  free  fats.  The  fat  globules  are  not 
held  together  by  any  tissue.  Free  fats  are  much  more 
likely  to  cause  indigestion  than  emulsified  fats,  or  when  in 
the  form  of  fat  meat  or  powdered  nuts." 

"What  is  the  objection  to  fried  fats?" 

"Heat  bursts  the  fat  globules,  and  the  fat  being  to  a  cer- 
tain extent  burned,  a  chemical  change  takes  place  which 
makes  an  irritating  fatty  acid." 

"Tlien  that  would  afifect  lard,  would  it  not? 

"Well,  lard  can  be  made  at  a  very  low  temperature  if 
it  is  done  properly,  and  frying  it  out  or  rendering,  so 
called,  does  not  necessarily  make  it  more  indigestible  than 
other  free  fats." 

"Is  not  lard  used  much  too  extensively  in  cooking?" 

"Well,  it  is  very  much  better  for  ordinary  use  than 
butter,  but  at  the  same  time  frying  almost  any  kind  of 
food  is  not  in  harmony  with  good  living,  but  is  very  much 
worse  for  some  kinds  of  food  than  others.  Dyspeptics 
should  use  free  fats  very  sparingly,  if  at  all." 

"W^hat  kind  of  fats  are  tallow  and  suet?" 

"Tallow  is  ordinary  beef  fat,  and  suet  is  the  kidney  fat 
of  beef." 

"Are  there  not  many  mixtures  of  these  used  under  va- 
rious names?" 

"Yes,  they  are  mixed  with  cotton-seed  oil — possibly 
other  kinds  of  oil, — and  sold  extensively  for  the  same  use 
as  lard." 

"How  is  oleomargarine  made?" 

"Oleomargarine  is  beef  fat  treated  with  a  few  chemicals 
mixed  with  a  small  amount  of  butter  and  sold  for  butter." 

"I  did  not  know  that  it  contained  any  butter." 

"The  ordinary  fornmla  for  making  oleomargarine  does 
not  include  butter,  but  it  is  sometimes  put  through  a 


172  BUTTERINE  AND  VARIOUS  OILS 

process  that  they  call  churning  with  milk  to  give  it  a 
flavor  of  butter.  The  different  compounds  of  oleomar- 
garine and  butterine  are  made  m  different  ways,  but  are 
substantially  the  same  product." 

"Are  they  healthful?" 

"They  are  better  than  poor  butter,  but  being  some- 
what more  solid,  are  a  little  more  difficult  to  digest." 

"Doctor,  you  said  a  moment  ago  that  cotton-seed  oil  is 
used?" 

"Yes,  the  manufacture  of  cotton-seed  oil  from  cotton 
seed  has  grown  to  be  an  important  business.     It  is  re- 
fined and  as  already  mentioned,  is  then  mixed  with  other' 
fats  for  cooking  purposes." 

"How  is  olive  oil  made?" 

"Olive  oil  is  made  from  very  ripe  olives.  It  is  used 
principally  as  a  table  oil  for  salad  dressing.  It  is  claimed 
that  many  other  kinds  of  oil  are  sold  under  the  name  of 
olive  oil." 

"What  other  kinds  of  oil  are  used  for  food?" 

"Cocoanut  oil,  peanut  oil,  and  cocoa  butter,  the  latter 
being  made  from  cacao  seeds  used  in  the  manufacture  of 
cocoa.  These  various  oils  vary  in  flavor,  and  slightly  in 
composition,  but  are  used  for  the  same  purposes." 

"Doctor,  you  forgot  cod-liver  oil,  did  you  not?" 

"While  cod-liver  oil  is  a  food,  it  is  usually  prescribed  as 
a  medicine." 

"Why  is  that?" 

"The  cod-liver  oil  contains  some  chemical  elements  not 
found  in  other  oils,  but  it  is  probable  that  it  is  often  pre- 
scribed because  heretofore  no  other  oil  suitable  for  ad- 
ministration was  readily  obtainable." 

"For  what  purpose  is  cod-liver  oil  prescribed?" 

"To  get  an  oil  that  is  easily  absorbed  in  the  system. 
Persons  afflicted  with  consumption  or  wasting  diseases 


COD  LIVER  OIL     GLYCERINE  173 

have  a  continual  tendency  to  grow  thinner.  This  is  be- 
cause the  system  does  not  take  up  and  absorb  enough 
heat-producing  material  to  prevent  the  destruction  of  the 
tissues  of  the  body  for  heat  production;  or  to  make  it 
plainer,  the  system  must  have  heat,  and  when  not  fur- 
nished by  the  food,  it  burns  up  its  own  tissues  until  the 
system  wastes  away,  and  it  is  to  prevent  this  wasting  that 
consumptives  take  cod-liver  oil  and  other  fats, — cod-liver 
oil  being  preferable,  because  more  readily  absorbed." 

"What  kind  of  a  product  is  glycerine?" 

"Glycerine  is  sometimes  described  as  the  sugar  of  fat. 
A  very  poor  description,  but  gives  a  faint  idea  of  its 
character.  It  is  the  part  of  fat  which  does  not  readily 
saponify  in  the  manufacture  of  soap.  It  is  not  used  to  any 
considerable  extent  as  a  food." 

"Are  not  fats  and  oils  frequently  given  as  cathartics?" 

"Some  oils  are  used  for  that  purpose.  The  tendency  of 
all  fats  and  oils  is  to  be  slightly  laxative." 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

FRUITS 

"Doctor,  I  cannot  remember  a  time  when  I  did  not  hear 
about  the  healthfulness  of  fruit,  and  yet  it  is  claimed  that  it 
often  makes  people  ill." 

"Yes;  the  people  believe  that  fruit  eating  is  conducive  to 
health,  and  the  whole  race,  it  seems,  has  been  disposed  to 
follow  Adam  who  ate  the  apple  against  the  command- 
ment." 

"If  fruit  be  so  healthful  why  don't  those  who  are  ailing 
(and  that  includes  a  large  per  cent  of  the  people)  eat  it 
and  get  well?" 

"Your  question  assumes  a  great  deal,  and  is  therefore 
hard  to  answer.  Probably  the  difficulty  is  in  being  able 
to  determine  the  proper  use  of  fruit." 

"It  seems  strange  that  the  learned  doctors  of  the  world 
should  not  have  found  this  out  in  several  thousand  years." 

"That  is  not  so  strange  after  all ;  for  it  should  be  borne 
in  mind  that  very  few  persons  in  any  profession  make 
any  extensive  original  investigations,  and  it  is  only  due  to 
the  modern  achievements  in  chemistry,  which  enable  us 
to  analyze  the  secretions  and  excretions  of  the  body  with 
the  digestive  processes,  that  has  thrown  any  light  on  the 
uses  of  fruit." 

"I  was  under  the  impression  that  a  good  many  theories 
had  been  advanced  why  fruits  were  particularly  beneficial 
in  promoting  health  and  curing  disease." 

"So  there  have.  It  has  been  urged  by  writers  on  diet 
that  fruits  assisted  in  burning  up  the  starches,  and  in  the 
production  of  heat;  by  others  that  it  was  the  mineral  salts 


176  HEALTHFULNESS  OF  FRUITS 

that  made  them  valuable.     These  are  not  all  the  theories, 
for  they  have  been  numerous." 

"Is  there  no  truth  in  these  theories?" 

"As  to  the  first  it  is  the  opposite  of  truth,  because  acids 
and  starches  are  entirely  incompatible,  so  that  fruits  con- 
taining acids  cannot  help  the  digestion  of  starch,  sugars 
or  fats ;  neither  does  it  directly  help  their  absorption  or  the 
process  of  burning  them  up." 

"It  is  generally  believed  that  fruits  are  laxative.  There 
must  be  some  truth  in  this?" 

"Well,  not  all  of  them  at  least." 

"Then  according  to  your  views  no  correct  explanation 
as  to  the  use  of  fruits  has  ever  been  made." 

"No;  the  proper  uses  of  fruits  are  still  unknown  to  the 
laity,  and  only  partially  known  to  the  medical  profession, 
but  as  no  satisfactory  explanation  has  been  given  for  their 
use,  it  is  not  clear  when  they  art  useful  and  when  likely  to 
be  injurious.  Their  palatability  has  probably  caused  their 
popularity  to  a  greater  extent  than  their  efiicacy  in  a 
medicinal  way." 

"Then  that  accounts  for  the  fact  that  their  use  some- 
times does  harm,  while  at  other  times  seems  to  be  just 
what  the  system  required." 

"It  is  this  way;  whenever  we  guess  at  a  thing  we  are 
strongly  indorsing  the  apple?" 

more  liable  to  be  wrong  than  right,  although  we  may 
happen  to  know  something  about  it." 

"Then, 'Doctor,  if  you  have  found  out  all  the  uses  of 
fruits,  you  can- do  a  great  deal  toward  enlightening  the 
world." 

"I  can  hardly  make  a  claim  of  that  kind,  and  I  didn't 
mean  that  I  had  learned  all  there  is  to  be  known  on  the 
subject.  My  remark  was  more  in  the  nature  of  a  -lament, 
because  so  little  was  really  known." 


USES  OF  FRUIT  177 

"At  any  rate,  Doctor,  you  have  my  curiosity  aroused  to 
a  high  pitch  to  know  what  you  regard  as  the  principal 
uses  of  fruit?" 

"Well,  in  discussing  the  question  of  digestion,  I  told 
you  that  the  entire  digestive  tract  from  the  mouth  down- 
ward was  lined  with  a  soft  membrane,  called  mucous 
membrane.  Now,  the  one  great,  fundamental  use  of 
fruits  is  to  cleanse  the  mucous  membrane." 

"Then  all  the  other  uses  are  secondary  to  this?" 

"I  would  hardly  put  it  in  that  way,  but  rather  say  that 
the  benefits  usually  ascribed  to  'fruits  were  incidental  to 
the  cleansing  of  this  mucous  membrane." 

"That  is  not  very  clear." 

"Then  I  will  explain." 

"One  of  the  effects  said  to  be  due  to  fruit  eating  is  that 
it  is  laxative." 

"Then  how  does  that  result  from  the  cleansing  of  the 
membrane?" 

"When  the  membranes  are  cleansed  the  secretions  are 
better  able  to  perform  their  functions,  and  besides  that, 
it  causes  food  and  detritus  and  mucus  to  be  removed." 

"How  does  it  do  that?" 

'The  fruit  acts  on  the  membranes,  probably  killing  the 
bacteria,  and  when  that  happens,  they  naturally  pass 
away.  Then  it  acts  in  another  way.  It  increases  the 
specific  gravity  of  the  urine,  i.  e.,  the  weight,  which 
makes  it  possible  for  it  to  carry  away  more  of  the  solids 
of  the  body  waste." 

"Then  the  removal  of  efifete  tissue,  mucus  and  excess  of 
nitrogenous  foods  not  used  in  the  system,  is  helped  by 
increasing  the  weight  of  the  urine?" 

"Yes;  by  increasing  the  eliminating  capacity  of  the 
kidneys." 


178  WHY  FRUIT  CLEANSES 

"Can  you  demonstrate  what  you  have  said  about  the 
effect  of  acids?" 

"Yes ;  you  can  do  that  in  part  for  yourself." 

"I  should  like  to  tr}  . " 

"Take  a  lemon  and  suck  the  juice  and  allow  it  to  come 
in  contact  with  as  much  of  the  membranes  of  the  mouth 
and  throat  as  possible.  If  there  is  any  accumulation  of 
mucus,  that  the  acid  touches,  it  will  be  removed." 

"I  have  often  done  that,  but  I  never  thought  of  that  as 
being  the  chief  action  of  fruits,  but  I  can  readily  believe 
from  my  own  experience  that  what  you  say  is  true." 

"Yes  it  is  true,  and  I  have  demonstrated  the  other  fact 
so  often  that  I  can  positively  say  that  fruits  increase  the 
specific  gravity  of  the  urine." 

"To  what  is  its  action  due?" 

"Partly  due,  no  doubt,  to  its  poAver  to  destroy  bac- 
teria and  partly  to  the  fact  that  the  acids  by  contact  with 
mucous  membranes  stimulate  them  to  activity.  Anyone 
with  a  coated  tongue  who  will  eat  something  like  sour 
apples  or  lemons  will  have  the  coating  quickly  removed. 

"Then  under  what  conditions  are  fruits  beneficial?" 

"Whenever  there  is  torpidity  of  liver  or  congestion  with 
mucous  secretions  and  whenever  there  is  excessive  alka- 
line fermentation  In  the  bowels."  (See  diseases  of  liver 
and  Intestines.) 

"When  are  fruits  harmful?" 

"Whenever  there  Is  an  excessive  acid  condition  of  the 
stomach,  intestines  and  urine." 

"How  are  we  to  determine  these  dififerent  conditions?" 

"Excessive  acidity  of  the  stomach  is  Indicated  by  one 
of  the  most  common  expressions,  'heart-burn.'  This  is 
really  not  a  condition  of  the  heart  as  one  would  suppose 
from  the  sensation  this  feeling  gives,  although  it  seems 
directlv  In  the  region  of  the  heart." 


FRUITS,  WHEN  HARMFUL  179 

"Yes,  I  have  often  experienced  such  a  sensation,  at  times 
amounting-  to  absohite  pain,  and  have  been  alarmed, 
thinking  it  might  be  a  disease  of  the  heart.  Now,  Doc- 
tor, can  you  not  give  me  a  clear  explanation  of  what  this 
is,  and  in  what  manner  it  is  brought  about?" 

"I  will  try  to  do  so,  as  it  is  one  of  those  conditions 
which  while  not  necessarily  harmful,  causes  much  un- 
easiness and  alarm  at  the  same  time,  and  if  the  'heart- 
burn' be  continuous,  it  is  the  forerunner  of  serious  stom- 
ach trouble.'' 

"Then  'heart-burn'  is  the  result  of  irritation  of  some 
part  of  the  stomach?'' 

"Yes,  the  burning  sensation  is  at  the  upper  part,  called 
the  esophag-eal  end,  which  is  parallel  and  within  an 
inch  of  the  heart;  hence  the  error  in  supposing-  that  it 
came  from  the  heart.  You  will  better  understand  how 
the  burning  sensation  occurs,  when  I  explain  that  the 
esophageal  end  of  the  stomach  lies  in  folds  something 
like  the  gathered  end  of  a  tobacco  pouch.  Now,  when 
there  is  an  excess  of  acid  in  the  stomach  with  gaseous 
distention,  the  folds  at  the  esophageal  end  are  stretched 
out,  which  leaves  the  entire  surface  exposed  to  the  irritat- 
ing influence  of  the  corroding  substance  in  the  stomach. 
It  is  this  that  causes  the  burning  sensation  called  'heart- 
burn.' " 

"May  there  not  be  an  excessive  acidity  without  'heart- 
burn?' " 

"Certainly.  Acid  eructations  or  uneasiness  two  hours 
after  eating  food,  show  too  much  acid;  also  excessive  se- 
cretion of  gastric  juice  (as  distinguished  from  excessive 
acidity  from  fermentation)  comes  within  the  principles 
excluding  the  use  of  sour  fruits.'' 

"Will  you  explain  the  symptoms  of  excessive  gastric 
secretion?" 


180  FRUITS,  WHEN  HARMFUL 

"That  will  come  under  diseases  of  the  stomach  (see  ex- 
cessive or  hyper-secretion,  page  . . .  .)•" 

"Doctor,  is  it  not  a  fact  that  heart-burn  often  results 
because  of  torpid  liver  and  inacitivity  of  the  bowels?" 

"Yes." 

"Then  acids  are  indicated  for  the  liver,  and  contra-in- 
dicated for  the  stomach.  How  do  you  harmonize  the 
two?" 

"In  such  cases  it  may  be  well  to  neutralize  the  contents 
of  the  stomach  by  an  alkali  and  then  not  eat  the  usual 
evening  meal.  By  kneading  the  abdomen  for  ten  minutes 
before  retiring,  the  stomach  should  be  entirely  empty  by 
morning.  Now  if  the  juice  of  a  half  lemon  be  added  to  a 
teacup  of  moderately  hot  water,  and  be  drunk  without 
sugar  an  hour  before  breakfast,  and  the  abdomen  again 
kneaded  to  clear  the  stomach,  it  will  be  in  good  condition 
for  a  breakfast  of  a  soft  boiled  egg  and  a  little  milk. 
This  treatment  is  only,  for  ordinary  attacks  of  indiges- 
tion, resulting  from  torpidity  of  liver.  Where  the  inflam- 
mation has  been  continuous  and  of  long  standing,  fruit 
acids  are  harmful,  because  the  membranes  of  the  stomach 
are  too  sensitive,  and  acids  increase  the  irritation." 

"Is  there  any  serious  injury  done  by  eating  fruits?" 

"Yes,  great  injury.  Besides  the  acid  condition  of  the 
stomach,  where  sour  fruits  are  harmful,  there  are  many 
acute  attacks  of  diarrhoea,  cholera  morbus  and  similar 
complaints  which  are  brought  on  by  eating  tainted,  tough 
or  green  fruit." 

"What  do  you  mean  by  tainted  fruit?" 

"Fruit  that  has  commenced  to  decay.  As  a  rule,  peo- 
ple have  a  keen  relish  for  almost  all  kinds  of  fruit,  and 
as  the   flavor   is  better  in  its  natural   state  than  when 


TAINTED  FRUIT  181 

cooked,  it  is  often  served  that  way  when  it  is  really  dan- 
gerous to  health  and  life." 

"Why  is  this?" 

"Because  a  large  per  cent  of  fruits  are  partially  spoiled 
before  they  reach  the  consumer,  and  if  eaten  without 
being  cooked,  violent  disturbances  of  the  digestive  organs 
are  likely  to  result.  If  fruit  of  any  kind  be  spoiled  in  the 
least,  it  must  be  cooked  sufficiently  to  arrest  all  fermen- 
tation; otherwise,  it  is  unfit  for  use.'' 

"What  kind  of  fruits  are  the  most  likely  to  be  spoiled?" 

"Probably  strawberries  and  peaches,  but  all  fruits,  such 
as  berries  of  every  kind,  plums,  pears,  bananas,  and  even 
apples  and  grapes  are  sometimes  tainted  with  decay." 

"I  suppose  that  a  speck  or  so  in  an  apple  would  not 
injure  it  any,  if  all  the  decayed  part  was  removed?" 

"An  apple  with  a  rotten  speck  is  not  fit  to  eat  unless 
well  cooked ;  no  matter  how  sound  a  part  of  it  may  seem, 
the  apple  is  contaminated." 

"It  would  seem  that  people  would  learn  better  than  to 
eat  spoiled  fruit?" 

'"But  they  do  it,  and  it  furnishes  the  doctors  half  their 
business  or  more,  at  certain  seasons  of  the  year,,  when 
fruit  is  moderately  plentiful,  and  the  weather  favors  ■  de- 
cay." 

"Does  cooking  stop  all  decay?" 

"Yes,  for  a  time,  but  it  must  not  be  understood  that 
cooking  restores  rotten  fruit,  but  when  the  decayed  parts 
are  removed,  the  cooking  makes  what  is  apparently 
sound,  but  merely  contaminated,  eatable." 

"Then  fruit  is  after  all  dangerous?" 

"It  ought  not  to  be,  but  until  the  people  learh  that 
spoiled  fruit  begets  familiarity  with  the  doctor  and  the 
undertaker,  the  injury  will  go  right  on." 

"When  should  fruits  be  eaten?" 


182  FRUIT  AS  DIGESTIVE  AGENTS 

/  "You  ought  to  have  added  the  purpose  for  which  they 
are  to  be  used;  also  the  kind  of  fruit  and  the  condition 
of  the  individual,  for  all  these  are  modifying  circum- 
stances. To  get  the  best  efifect,  it  should  be  eaten  on  an 
empty  stomach,  that  means  three  or  four  hours  after 
meals,  or  better  still,  an  hour  before  breakfast.  This 
of  course  applies  only  to  acid  fruits  without  solid  matter. 
Rich  fruits  like  figs  and  bananas  should  be  eaten  with 
regular  meals." 

"Does  eating  acid  fruit  on  an  empty  stomach  aid  di- 
gestion?" 

"Very  much,  and  relieves  constipation,  provided  of 
course,  the  condition  of  the  patient  is  such  as  to  indicate 
the  need  of  fruits." 

"Under  what  other  circumstances  would  fruits  aid  di- 
gestion?" 

"Well,  fruits  to  a  certain  extent  supplement  the  natural 
gastric  secretion,  especially  in  the  digestion  of  tissue-form- 
ing food,  such  as  meat,  eggs,  oysters,  peas,  beans  and 
wheat  gluten.  These  foods  will  be  more  readily  digested 
when  acid  fruits  are  eaten  with  them,  provided  of  course, 
the  stomach  is  not  already  too  acid." 

"When  are  fruits  indigestible?" 

"When  they  are  solid  or  tough.  Green  fruit  is  always 
more  or  less  solid,  and  if  it  is  pulled  green,  it  may  appar- 
ently ripen,  but  still  be  exceedingly  tough.  Fruit  of  this 
kind  ought  to  be  let  alone,  unless  cooked  until  soft." 

"This  would  strike  fruits  that  are  shipped  long  dis- 
tances?" 

"Yes,  peaches  and  bananas  and  some  oth>r  fruits  that 
are  shipped  a  long  distance,  and  ripened  in  cellars  or  in 
boxes,  are  not  suitable  to  be  eaten  raw." 

"Boys  seem  to  have  a  strange  weakness  tor  green  ap- 
ples, but  the  apples  can  hardly  be  said  to  have  a  weakness 


WHEN  TO  EAT  FRUIT  183 

for  boys,  because  they  often  lay  them  out.     Why  is  this?" 

"Because  they  are  tough  and  acrid.  They  are  not 
easily  disintegrated,  and  therefore  irritate  the  lining  mem- 
brane of  the  digestive  organs,  and  cause  diarrlioea." 

"Then  when  any  kind  of  fruit  is  hard  or  tough  it  should 
not  be  eaten?" 

"Not  in  its  raw  state,  and  not  when  cooked  unless  it 
cooks  soft." 

"Is  it  proper  to  eat  fruit  at  meal  times  or  between 
meals?'' 

"Fruits  that  are  not  very  sour  may  be  eaten  at  meal 
times  with  any  kind  of  food.  Sour  fruit  when  permis- 
sible at  all  may  be  eaten  with  meat,  beans,  peas,  eggs, 
oysters,  but  not  with  milk,  bread  or  vegetable  foods  con- 
taining much  starch,  such  as  rice,  potatoes  and  oat-meal." 

"Does  not  the  use  of  fruit  have  a  tendency  to  increase 
the  consumption  of  sugar,  which  you  say  is  too  great 
already?" 

"It  does,  but  it  ought  not  to  be  so,  for  there  is  no  reason 
or  need  for  covering  fruit  with  sugar  as  many  people  do." 

"But  it  is  disagreeable  to  taste  and  disturbs  some  peo- 
ple's stomachs." 

"As  to  taste,  that  is  n.uch  a  matter  of  habit,  for  most 
fresh  berries  and  fruits  are  better  as  pulled,  than  with 
sugar,  and  as  a  rule  it  is  the  sugar  that  disagrees,  or  if 
not,  it  is  the  tough  skin  or  seeds.  Of  course,  if  acids 
are  taken  where  there  is  already  too  much  acid  in  the 
stomach,  that  would  of  itself  be  a  cause  for  increasing  the 
unfavorable  symptoms." 

"Is  there  any  way  of  treating  sour  fruits  so  as  to  make 
them  palatable  without  sugar?" 

"Yes,  if  it  is  not  desirable  to  use  sugar,  bi-carbonate  of 
soda  (common  baking  soda)  may  be  added  to  sour  fruits 
when  cooking.     This  neutralizes  the  excessive  amount  of 


184''  APPLt 

acid.  However,  many  of  the  sourest  fmits  like  cranber- 
ries should  not  be  used  at  all  by  some  people,  while  others 
may  use  such  fruits  with  sugar,  without  any  apparent 
ill  results." 

"You  mention  skins  and  pits  as  causing  injury?'' 

"Yes,  all  skins,  seeds,  especially  seeds  of  any  consider- 
able size,  should  be  separated,  and  never  swallowed;  but 
this  will  receive  further  mention  when  we  discuss  each 
l^articular  fruit.'* 

"Which  of  the  fruits  do  you  consider  most  valuable?"' 

"In  tKe  temperate  zones,  the  apple.     The  apple  is  king 
of  fruits,  and  one  is  tempted  to  say  of  it: 
Blessed  be  thy  crimson  cheek, 

Kissed  aHke  by  the  sun  and  the  breeze; 
So  good,  so  beautiful,  so  divinely  meek; 

There  is  none  thy  equal,  on  earth  or  seas." 

"That  is  beautiful.  Doctor,  and  shows  poetic  genius,  but 
why  does  the  apple  so  inspire  you?  I  hope  that  you 
haven't  been  drinking  apple  jack?'' 

"Well,  if  the  apple  be  worthy  of  a  place  in  the  songs 
of  Solomon,  who  says,  'As  the  apple  tree  among  the 
trees  of  the  wood,  so  is  my  beloved  among  the  sons;  and 
then  again  he  says,  'Stay  me  with  flagons,  comfort  me 
with  apples.'  Surely  if  Solomon  could  say  so  much,  why 
should  not  the  doctor,  who  appreciates  their  excellencies, 
be  equally  enthusiastic  in  their  praise?'' 

"Then  you  think  Solomon  showed  his  wisdom  in  so 

"Yes,  no  doubt  he  could  have  spoken  in  still  more  elo- 
quent terms,  could  he  have  tasted  some  of  our  Nineteenth 
century  fruit." 

"I  suppose  that  one  of  the  good  traits  belonging  to  the 
apple  is  that  we  have  it  all  the  year?" 

"Yes,  that  is  one,  and  a  very  important  one.  Another 
is  that  the  appTe  is  the  least  harmful  or  misused  of  all 


APPLE  LEAST  MISUSED  18*1 ' 

frnits;  for  it  is  seldom  used  with  anv  serious  injury;  in 
other  words,  it  is  the  least  likely  to  be  misused." 

"What  are  the  many  other  good  traits  that  you  ascribe " 
to  the  apple?" 

"Well,  another  excellent  thine:  about  the  apple  is  the 
variety.  There  are  some  300  varieties  in  cultivation,  each 
different  from  the  other  in  flavor,  and  varying  from  the 
sweetness  of  sugar  to  the  sourness  of  the  lemon,  or  nearly 
so." 

"Doctor,  what  is  the  average  composition  of  apples?" 

"They  vary  greatly,  ranging  from  about  eighty-two  to 
ninety  per  cent  water.  The  food  elements  are  princi- 
pally gum  and  sugar — the  sugar  varying  according  to 
variety,  but  it  usually  runs  from  five  to  seven  per  cent. 
The  apple  ordinarily  has  very  little  tissue-forming  ele- 
ment; it  is  strictly  a  heat  producer,  so  far  as  you  could 
consider  it  as  a  food." 

"What  about  the  vvaste  matter  of  the  apple?" 

"It  is  only  about  two  per  cent  including  the  skin  and 
the  core,  and  without  these  it  would  be  very  small,  so 
that  the  apple  is  not  laxative  because  of  this,  for  nearly  all 
the  vegetables,  and  for  that  matter,  nearly  all  foods,  have  a 
larger  amount  of  waste  matter  than  the  apple  has,  ex- 
clusive of  core  and  skin." 

"There  must  be  something  else  that  makes  the  apple 
so  valuable?" 

"Yes,  its  particular  efifect  results  from  the  acids  and 
mineral  matter.  There  is  usually  about  one  per  cent 
of  malic  acid,  although  of  course  among  the  numerous 
varieties  this  would  vary  greatly.  The  apple  also  con- 
tains considerable  potash  and  soda,  and  a  trace  of  lime, 
magnesium  and  iron.  Some  have  reported  that  laborers 
could  live  <jn  the  apple  alone,  but  we  doubt  this  very 
much.     In  this  respect,  it  has  rather  less  tissue-forming 


186  USES  OF  APPLE 

food  than  the  potato.  Bulk  for  bulk,  the  apple  is  slightly 
less  nutritious  than  the  potato,  but  its  sugar  and  gum 
compare  favorably  with  the  starch  of  the  potato  as  a 
heat  producer;  but  of  course  the  apple,  on  account  of  its 
acids,  has  many  uses  entirely  unknown  to  the  potato." 

"Have  not  a  great  many  writers  unduly  extolled  the 
healthfulness  of  the  apple?'' 

"Perhaps  they  have;  it  certainly  will  not  correct  all  the 
abuses  that  may  be  inflicted  upon  the  system.  It  is  only 
an  aid  when  there  is  proper  cijnsideration  as  to  the  kind 
and  quality  of  food  consumed,  and  the  habits  are  other- 
w^ise  good." 

"What  are  the  various  uses  of  the  apple  as  an  article  of 
diet?" 

"Probably  the  first  is,  that  the  apple  adds  variety  to  the 
diet,  for  it  can  be  cooked  in  so  many  ways,  it  can  hardly 
fail  to  revive  a  failing  appetite.  Apples  that  are  not  very 
sour  may  be  used  with  the  cereals  to  give  them  flavor. 
By  a  little  care  in  this  way,  many  persons  can  be  induced 
to  eat  cereals,  who  would  not  otherwise  eat  them  at  all, 
because  they  do  not  like  them.  Its  other  uses  depend 
upon  its  acids." 

"Then  apple  cider  must  be  good?" 

"TTider,  being  the  juice  of  the  apple,  when  fresh  has 
about  the  same  uses  as  the  apple.  Sweet  cider  has  been 
known  to  benefit  cases  of  aggravated  constipation,  when 
apparently  nothing  else  would." 

"Why  is  this?" 

"Very  likely  the  great  quantity  of  water  together  with 
the  acid  exerted  a  stimulating  effect  on  the  bowels  without 
undue  irritation." 

"Is  not  vinegar  made  of  cider?" 

"Yes,  but  the  less  said  about  vinegar  or  the  less  used 
the  better,  although  cider  vinegar  is  very  palatable,  due 


PEACH  187 

to  small  particles  of  the  apple  which  gives  it  its  flavor." 

"What  is  the  best  way  to  prepare  apples  for  food?" 

"Apples  are  best  either  baked  or  stewed,  though  they 
may  be  cooked  in  other  ways  for  variety." 

"Are  dried  apples  equally  wholesome?" 

"Dried  apples  are  better  than  none  at  all,  but  not  so^ 
good  as  the  fresh,  owing  to  the  fact  that  water  is  eyapor-.^ 
ated.  Bulk  for  bulk,  dried  apples  are  twice  as  rich  ak^ 
before  drying."  ... 

"Doctor,  awhile  ago  you  spoke  of  the  peach  as  being-, 
a  source  of  digestive  disturbances;  would  you  condemn  it 
because  of  this?" 

"No,  the  peach  is  a  very  choice  fruit,  and  probably 
more  people  like  a  good  peach  better  than  any  other 
fruit"- 

"Why  are  they  so  often  the  source  of  disease?" 

"Because  they  ripen  in  Iwt  weather  and  will  not  keep. 
The  peach  should  be  eaten  within  a  few  hours  after  it  is 
pulled,  and  if  it  is  not,  it  may  become  tainted,  and  cause 
violent  gastric  disturbance  or  diarrhoea." 

"Is  there  no  way  of  preventing  this?" 

"No  way  except  to  get  the  people  to  understand  that 
they  must  not  eat  stale  fruit,  but  if  they  do  it  must  be 
cooked,  so  that  all  bacteria  may  be  destroyed  and  decay 
arrested." 

''Why  not  can  or  dry  peaches?" 

"That  is  a  good  way.     They  can  be  kept  very  well . 
all  the  year.     Good  canned  peaches  are  almost  as  good 
as  fresh  ones.     What  is  known  as  pie  peaches,  containing 
green  and  solid  lumps  and  more  or  less  of  the  tough  dirty 
skin  of  the  peach,  should  not  be  used  by  anybody." 

"In  what  does  the  peach  diiifer  from  the  apple?" 

"It  does  not  contain  as  much  sugar,  but  as  a  rule  more^ 
gum.     The  principal  part  of  the  peach,  exclusive  of  water. 


188  PEAR 

gum.     The  principal  part  of  the  peach,  exclusive  of  water, 
is  known  as  pectose,  which  is  a  sort  of  gum.'' 

"What  kind  of  acid  is  found  in  the  peach?" 

"Principally  malic  acid,  the  same  as  in  the  apple.  Good 
peaches  are  almost  as  nutritious  as  apples,  but  much  more 
care  is  needed  in  using  them,  because  of  the  liability  to 
either  be  green  and  tough,  or  over-ripe  and  tainted  with 
decay.  A  choice  peach  not  too  green  or  too  ripe,  is  one 
of  the  most  delicious  things  with  which  nature  has  pro- 
vided man." 

"Doctor,  a  good  many  people  prefer  the  pear  to  any 
other  fruit.'' 

"That  is  doubtless  because  of  its  sweet  taste;  other- 
wise, it  is  not  so  rich  as  many  of  the  other  fruits." 

"How  does  it  compare  with  the  peach?" 

"Well,  in  a  general  way,  it  has  about  the  same  amount 
of  water  (83  f),  but  the  pear  has  about  twice  as  much  sugar 
(8^),  and  half  as  much  gum  or  pectose.  The  food  value, 
although  dififerent  in  character,  amounts  to  about  the 
same  as  the  peach.  The  pear  has  but  little  acid,  and  it 
may  therefore  be  used  with  any  kind  of  food,  because 
there  is  not  sufficient  quantity  of  acid  to  even  coagulate 
milk  to  any  noticeable  extent.'' 

"What  would  you  consider  the  best  way  to  use  the 
pear?" 

"Aside  from  its  use  as  a  pleasant  fruit,  it  makes  the 
best  preserves  and  jam  of  any  of  the  fruits,  or  at  least,  it  is 
highly  prized  for  that  purpose." 

"Some  people  declare  the  pear  to  be  laxative,  Avhile 
others  say  it  is  astringent." 

"Some  varieties  are  astringent,  but  the  excessive 
amount  of  sugar  in  the  pear  sometimes  causes  an  abnor- 
mal fermentation,  and  results  in  diarrhoea;  then  again,  the 
pear  Is  frequently  tough  and  may  cause  disturbances  on 


QUINCE     GRAPE  189 

this  account.  The  same  care  is  needed  in  using  pears  on 
account  of  being  eitlier  hard  or  tainted  with  decay,  as  that 
of  peaches.  Owing  to  their  large  amount  of  sugar  they 
should  not  be  eaten  by  any  one  subject  to  sour  stomach." 

'The  quince  is  the  most  solid  of  all  the  fruits,  and  un- 
less well  cooked  is  not  eatable  at  all.  It  contains  a  large 
amount  of  malic  acid  and  a  great  amount  of  gum. 
When  thoroughly  cooked,  many  people  prize  it  highly  for 
its  flavor.     It  is  slightly  astringent." 

"Is  there  any  other  use  for  it  than  as  a  stewed  fruit?" 

"It  makes  a  jelly  of  the  finest  quality/' 

"Doctor,  I  suppose  the  grape  is  almost  next  to  the 
apple?" 

"Probably  considering  its  universal  use,  it  certainly 
ranks  high,  and  if  not  next  to  the  apple,  it  ought  to  be 
considered  at  least  one  of  the  most  valuable  of  all  our 
fruits." 

"What  nutriment  is  there  in  the  grape?" 

"That  depends  much  on  the  variety.  Some  grapes 
have  much  less  water  than  others.  A  fair  average  prob- 
ably would  be  about  80;*^'  water,  the  principal  other  in- 
gredient, besides  waste,  being  sugar.  In  addition  to  the 
sugar,  the  grape  has  considerable  tartaric  acid,  and  when 
we  consider  the  seed  and  skin,  it  has  a  very  large  amount 
of  waste  matter,  but  with  these  out  as  they  should  be, 
the  waste  matter  is  small.  The  grape  has  not  enough 
nitrogen  in  it  to  make  this  element  worth  mentioning,  and 
like  the  fruits  just  discussed,  it  is  strictly  a  heat-producing 
food.  There  is  also  considerable  mineral  matter,  soda, 
potash,  magnesia  and  iron,  in  addition  to  tartaric  acid." 

"I  have  heard  very  well-informed  people  say  that  grape 
juice  contained  very  nearly  the  same  elements  as  blood?" 

"When  they  said  that,  no  matter  who  they  were,  they 


190  GRAPE 

were  talking  rank  nonsense,  because  the  grape  lacks  a 
great  deal  of  furnishing  the  necessary  constitutents  of  the 
blood." 

"What  uses  has  the  grape  ?" 

"It  is  a  wholesome  and  pleasant  fruit,  if  properly  eaten." 

"How  is  that?" 

"The  pulp  should  be  dissolved  and  no  one  should  swal- 
low either  the  seeds  or  the  skin." 

"Has  the  grape  any  particular  value  in  disease?" 

"Yes,  it  has  great  value,  but  this  will  be  considered 
under  the  head  of  disease." 

"What  about  wine?" 

"Wine  properly  belongs  with  spirituous  liquors." 

"Of  what  are  raisins  made?" 

"Raisins  are  dried  grapes,  also  what  are  known  as  Eng- 
lish currants,  are  really  only  inferior  raisins." 

"Are  raisins  healthful?" 

"They  contain  about  the  same  properties  as  grapes,  but 
owing  to  their  toughness  and  their  seeds,  they  should  be 
cooked  and  thoroughly  masticated,  and  any  one  who 
gives  raisins  to  small  children,  does  so  at  the  risk  of 
causing  their  death." 


CHAPTER  X\'III. 

FRUITS  CONTINUED. 
PLUM. 

'The  plum  is  a  nice  fruit,  makes  most  delicious  pre- 
serves and  jam." 

"But  Doctor,  a  good  many  people  think  plums  very  un- 
wholesome?" 

"Doubtless  a  good  many  disorders  have  been  produced 
by  the  plum,  because  they  are  so  often  tough,  acrid,  and 
therefore  unsuitable  for  food;  but  choice  varieties  of 
plums  that  have  been  ripened  on  the  tree  are  both  deli- 
cious and  wholesome,  provided  of  course,  the  tough  skin 
is  not  swallowed." 

"How  do  they  compare  with  otlier  fruits?" 

"They  are  very  similar  to  the  peach,  only  as  a  rule  they 
are  more  acid.  They  usually  contain  a  little  less  sugar, 
and  about  the  same  amount  of  gum.  The  per  cent,  of 
aciTi  in  the  plum  is  ordinarily  about  H  and  nearly  double 
that  of  the  peach.  Some  varieties  of  the  plum  are  quite 
astringent." 

"Are  not  prunes  some  variety  of  plums  that  have  been 
dried?" 

"Yes,  the  prune  is  really  a  plum,  but  a  sweeter  variety 
than  the  ordinary  Damson  or  Green  Gage  plum." 

"What  value  has  the  prune  as  a  food?" 

"The  prune  contains  a  large  amount  of  sugar,  and  it  is 
supposed  to  be  very  laxative,  but  it  has  been  much  over- 
rated in  this  respect.  It  has  no  properties  to  cause  it  to 
be  more  laxative  than  most  other  fruits,  and  careful  ob- 
servation will  show  that  it  is  not  so  in  practice.  Prunes 
should  be  very  well  stewed,  as  otherwise  they  are  unfit 


192  CHERRY     APRICOT     STRAWBERRY 

to  eat.  The  removal  of  the  tough  skin  by  straining  the 
pulp  adds  greatly  to  iheir  food  value." 

"Doctor,  how  does  the  cherry  rank  as  a  fruit?" 

"The  cherry  is  a  favorite  of  many  people,  but  it  ought 
not  to  rank  very  highly,  because  a  large  per  cent  of  it  is 
tough  skin  and  water,  and  it  is  rather  strong  in  acid." 

"Then  you'  do  not  recommend  the  cherr}'  very 
strongly?" 

"No,  I  do  not.  If  the  juice  is  fresh  and  used  for  mak- 
ing jelly,  perhaps  one  could  justly  extol  it,  but  it  has  a 
very  thick  skin,  and  a  small  amount  of  pulp,  which  leaves 
very  little  of  the  fruit  suitable  for  use.  Like  other  fruits, 
the  sugar  and  acid  vary  much  according  to  the  variety, 
although  it  is  very  similar  to  that  of  the  plum." 

"The  apricot  and  the  nectarine  are  very  similar  to  the 
peach,  but  are  not  as  rich.  It  does  not  need  any  ex- 
tended description,  because  it  is  so  nearly  like  the  peach." 

"Doctor,  it  rather  seems  as  though  you  had  slighted 
our  berries?" 

"Well,  the  berries  are  in  such  great  favor,  especially  the 
strawberry,  that  some  enthusiasts  have  said  that  the  'Lord 
could  have  made  a  better  berry  than  the  strawberry,  but 
he  didn't." " 

"What  properties  has  the  strawberry?" 

"It  does  not  differ  as  much  as  one  would  suppose  from 
other  fruits.  It  contains  some  more  acid  than  the  aver- 
age apple,  not  cjuite  so  nuich  sugar,  and  a  good  deal  of 
waste  material  or  cellulose.  The  nitrogenous  or  tissue- 
forming  element  of  the  strawberry  is  proportionately 
higher  than  most  of  the^other  fruits.  Ordinarily,  it  is 
about  eighty-eight  per  cent  water." 

"Is  there  any  injury  likely  to  result  from  using  straw- 
berries?" 

"Yes,  many  persons  are  injured  by  using  stale  straw- 


USES  OF  STRAWBERRIES  193 

berries.  They  do  not  keep  but  a  short  time,  and  like 
other  fruits,  when  tainted  they  sliould  be  cooked,  but  the 
tendency  is  to  merely  add  sufficient  sugar  to  hide  their 
decay." 

"Has  tlie  strawberry  any  action  different  from  that  <^f 
other  fruits?" 

"Ves,  it  is  more  laxative,  because  of  the  stimulating- 
effect  the  small  seeds  have  on  the  intestines,  and  if  straw- 
berries are  used  judiciously,  they  have  very  great  value, 
as  they  come  early  in  the  season,  at  a  time  when  their 
flavor  and  their  acid  is  needed  to  clear  the  system  for  hot 
weather.  Strawberries  make  very  delicious  jelly  and  jam. 
They  should  not  be  used  with  milk,  because  their  acid 
coagulates  the  milk,  causing  it  to  form  little  hard  lumps 
or  clots,  Straw^berries  are  charged  with  being  the  cause 
of  hives  and  skin  eruptions,  but  only  in  people  w^ho  have 
some  peculiarity — probably  an  excess  of  uric  acid  in  the 
system." 

"Doctor,  you  spoke  of  the  acids  coagulating  milk;  what 
kind  of  acid  does  the  strawberry  contain?" 

"The  strawberry  contains  both  malic  and  citric  acid, 
also  potash,  lime  and  soda  salts.  It  is  therefore  slightly 
diuretic  as  well  as  laxative." 

"Is  the  strawberry  used  in  any  other  way,  except  as  it 
is  picked?" 

"Well,  it  may  be  cooked,  and  used  for  flavoring  other 
foods." 

"The  raspberry  is  one  of  the  most  palatable  of  the  sum- 
mer berries,  but  it  is  so  much  like  the  blackberry  and  blue- 
berry they  may  all  be  discussed  together." 

"In  what  way  are  these  different  from  other  fruits?" 

"They  differ  in  this;  they  contain  more  seeds,  or  at  least 
larger  ones,  and  less  water,  and  instead  of  being  laxative 
as  are  most  fruits,  they  are  astringent,  and  wine  made  of 


15^4  ASTRINGENT  BERRIES 

blackberries  is  one  of  the  most  common  remedies  for 
diarrhoea  or  summer  complaint." 

''What  properties  have  these  berries  as  food?" 
,.    ".Aside  from  their  acid,  and  mineral  salts,  which  are 
similar  to  those  of  the  strawberry-,  they  contain  little,  ex- 
cept sugar  and  their  agreeable  flavoring  matter,  common 
to  various  other  fruits." 

.   "To.  what  do  you  ascribe  their  astringency?" 
,.    ''.Tannic  acid,  or  something  equivalent  to  it.'' 
,    -"Wha^  otlier  berries  besides  the  raspberry,  blackberry 
■and  dewberry  are  astringent?" 

"The  elderberry  and  blueberry.  The  elderberry  is  not 
extensively  used,  although  it  makes  an  agreeable  wine, 
and  is  made  by  many  people  for  home  use.  The  blue- 
berry is  a  berry  of  commerce,  of  which  there  are  several 
varieties..  It  has  an  agreeable  flavor,  and  is  not  very  pro- 
nounced in  its  action,  because  it  contains  little  but  seeds, 
sugar  and  flavoring  matter." 

"Cranberry,  gooseberry,  and  currant,  are  all  popular 
fruits.  The  cranberry  is  more  extensively  sold  than  any 
of  the  others." 

"Why  is  this?" 
.     "Because  it  matures  late  in  the  season,  and  is  easily  kept 
all  winter." 
■    "What  are  its  properties?'' 

"Malic  and  citric  acid  in  large  amounts,  a  little  flavor- 
ing, and  an  exceedingly  tough  skin." 
,    "Gan  you  recommend  its  use?" 

"On  account  of  the  strong  acid  and  skin  of  the  cran- 
berry, it  disagrees  with  most  people.  If  used  at  all,  it 
should  be.  stewed  and  strained  so  that  the  tough  skins 
com.e  ofif.  This  would  practically  make  a  jelly  of  it.  The 
acid  is  exceedingly  acrid,  somewhat  astringent  and  of 
rather  doubtful  use.     It   is  sometmies  useful  as  a  dis- 


GOOSEBERRY     MULBERRY  195 

infectant  for  inflammations,  and  is  usually  applied  as  a 
poultice." 

"The  goosebeiry  is  much  more  favorably  known  in 
England  than  this  country,  as  it  requires  a  cool,  moist 
climate  for  good  fruit.  It  also  has  a  tough  skin  and 
large  seeds,  and  ntothing*  to  recommend  it  except  its 
flavor  and  the  sugar  its  contains.  When  green,  it  is  very 
sour,  but  when  fully  matured  and  ripe,  it  contains  quite 
a  large  per  cent  of  sugar,  more  in  fact  than  most  other 
fruits.  The  currant  is  another  tough-skinned  fruit  with 
large  seeds.  It  does  not  differ  greatly  from  the  goose- 
berry, except  that  it  never  has  so  high  a  per  cent  of 
sugar.  None  of  these  berries  should  be  used  with  their 
skins,  and  they  are  therefore  more  suitable  for  making 
jams  and  jellies,  than  for  any  other  purpose." 

"The  mulberry  has  never  been  so  extensively  grown  as 
its  flavor  would  certainly  warrant.  There  are  few  berries 
as  rich  as  the  mulberry,  and  it  ought  to  have  been  planted 
everywhere,  instead  of  the  cherry,  although  it  does  not 
produce  so  large  a  crop  nor  is  it  so  sure  to  bear." 

"What  are  its  properties?" 

"It  is  very  rich  in  its  flavoring  matter,  has  a  high  per 
cent  of  sugar,  and  contains  about  one  and  a  half  per  cent 
of  tartaric  acid,  and  is  therefore  more  like  the  grape  than 
any  other  berry.     It  also  contains  considerable  potash." 

"Doctor,  what  is  the  leading  fruit  from  the  tropics?" 

"Well,  it  is  difficult  to  say  whether  the  banana  or 
lemon  " 

"For  a  food,  which  is  best?" 

"The  banana.  It  is  the  only  green  fruit  extensively 
used  in  this  country,  upon  which  life  can  be  sustained  for 
any  length  of  time." 

"Then,  the  composition  will  be  interesting?" 

"Yes,  the  banana  contains  one  per  cent  or  two  per  cent 


196  BANANA 

of  tissue-forming  food,  or  about  one-eig-hth  that  of  entire 
wheat  flour.  It  contains  quite  a  large  amount  of  gum 
and  sugar,  amounting  in  all  to  about  fifteen  per  cent. 
The  banana  contains  less  water  than  most  other  fruits, 
being  onlv  about  eighty  per  cent  water,  while  most  of 
the  others  range  from  eighty-two  to  ninety  per  cent,  ex- 
cept those  which  are  principally  seed." 

"Do  you  consider  the  banana  a  wholesome  food?'' 

"It  does  not  agree  with  most  people.'' 

"Why  is  that?" 

"That  is  because  it  is  pulled  green,  and  ripened  by  an 
artificial  process,  so  that  when  the  banana  is  ripened  for 
market,  it  is  really  ripened  by  a  process  of  decay." 

"Then  this  is  the  reason  why  bananas  are  so  likely  to 
disagree?" 

"Yes,  being  partly  decayed,  and  containing  a  consider- 
able amount  of  sugar,  they  are  likely  to  continue  to  decay, 
or  sour  fermentation  set  in  after  they  are  eaten.  It  is  no 
uncommon  thing  for  bananas  to  produce  nettle-rash,  es- 
pecially in  children." 

"Is  there  any  way  of  overcoming  the  difficulty?" 

"Only  by  allowing  the  banana  to  ripen  where  it  grows, 
and  make  it  into  meal.  This  is  another  peculiarity  of  the 
banana;  it  is  the  only  fruit  that  can  be  dried  and  ground 
into  flour,  and  when  this  is  done  the  banana  makes  a  valu- 
able food." 

*T  notice  that  its  use  has  been  mentioned  in  typhoid 
fevers?" 

"Yes,  banana  meal  has  been  used  with  very  good  re- 
sults in  many  liospitals,  both  for  typhoid  fever  and  other 
cases,  but  it  must  not  be  concluded  from  this  that  an 
ordinary  tough  banana  can  be  used,  because  it  would 
likely  disagree  with  a  well  person,  and  be  very  dangerous 
to  the  sick," 


BANANA     LEMON  197 

"Then  you  rather  discourage  tlie  use  of  bananas?" 

"Yes,  until  there  is  some  way  of  getting  the  fruit  to  us 
in  a  better  condition.  It  is  truly  a  fine  fruit  and  the  time 
will  soon  come  when  its  use  will  be  such  as  to  warrant 
some  more  satisfactory  way  of  bringing  it  to  the  people." 

"I  suppose,  Doctor,  that  you  consider  the  lemon  more 
of  a  medicine   than  a  fruit?" 

"The  lemon  has  long  been  used  for  its  flavor,  and  in  a 
medicinal  way,  but  modern  chemistry  so  perfectly  coun- 
terfeits all  flavors  that  the  use  of  fruits  for  such  purposes 
is  almost  discontinued,  so  that  the  lemon  must  hold  its 
place  for  its  valuable  acids." 

"What  are  these?" 

''Citric  and  malic  acids.  A  lemon  does  not  contain  any 
properties  that  could  really  be  called  a  food,  and  its  use 
is  really  only  that  of  a  cleanser.  It  is  especially  valuable 
to  cleanse  the  stomach  of  mucus,  when  its  juice  is  used 
with  hot  water  an  hour  before  meals.  No  sugar  should 
be  used.  As  a  toilet  article  for  the  skin,  hair,  and  mouth, 
it  has  no  equal,  for  its  juice  cleanses  the  skin  of  an  excess 
of  fat,  and  should  be  used  to  take  away  the  "shine"  on  the 
face,  the  ladies  so  much  dread,  instead  of  face  powders. 
It  will  also  remove  blackheads,  due  to  impaired  circula- 
tion of  the  skin,  and  is  truly  nature's  beautifier.  The  juice 
of  the  lemon  when  used  without  soap  is  an  invaluable  hair 
wash  to  remove  dandruff  and  oil,  and  will  also  cleanse  and 
sweeten  the  mouth,  when  there  is  a  bad,  or  'dark  brown' 
taste.  For  washing  the  hair,  the  juice  of  a  fresh  ripe 
lemon  should  be  squeezed  into  a  pint  and  a  half  or  two 
pints  of  lukewarm  water,  and  thoroughly  rubbed  into  the 
scalp,  then  dried  with  a  rough  towel." 

"Has  the  orange  the  same  uses?" 

"No,  it  is  more  of  a  food,  because  the  orange  contains 
a  little  gum  and  some  sugar." 


198  ORANGE      PINE  APPLES 

"What  acid  does  the  orange  contain?" 

"Mostly  citric  and  mahc  acid,  and  citrate  of  Hme." 

"Then  the  orange  has  uses  unknown  to  the  lemon?" 

"Yes,  oranges  are  often  valuable  for  invalids  when 
lemons  could  hardly  be  used  at  all." 

"The  tamarind  has.  a  high  per  cent  of  citric  acid,  also 
contains  some  tartaric  acid,  and  a  trace  of  malic  acid.  It 
is  rich  also  in  potash,  and  contains  as  high  as  12'"/  of 
sugar.  It  is  not  extensively  used,  and  does  not  there- 
fore deserve  much  consideration." 

"The  pineapple  is  one  of  the  most  delicious  of  all 
tropical  fruits.  It  contains  all  of  the  fruit  acids  and 
some  other  substance  very  similar  to  papain,  which  is  a 
digestive  agent  for  all  kinds  of  food.  There  is  probably 
no  other  fruit  generally  known  that  has  the  same  property 
for  digesting  other  foods  as  that  of  the  pineapple." 

"Then  it  is  a  good  thing  to  eat?" 

"That  is  very  questionable.  The  pineapple  contains 
an  extraordinary  amount  of  tough  fiber,  which  is  exceed- 
ingly difficult  to  digest. 

"Then  how  should  it  be  used?" 

"Well,  the  juice  should  be  obtained  in  some  way  from 
the  pineapple  without  the  tough  fibre,  macerated  in 
water  and  expressed  by  compression.  It  is  now  pre- 
scribed to  considerable  extent  in  certain  diseases  of  the 
stomach.  Zumo-Anana  is  a  pineapple  wine,  beneficial 
when  there  is  insufficient  secretion  of  digestive  juices,  but 
contra-indicated  where  there  is  excessive  secretioa 

"The  lime  is  probably  the  sourest  fruit  known.  Citric 
acid  is  manufactured  from  it.  Also,  lime  juice.  It  is 
very  similar  to  the  lemon.  Citric  acid  is  often  used  as  a 
substitute  for  lemons. 

"The  grape  fruit  is  a  large  fruit,  much  larger  than 
either  orange  or  the  lemon.     It  contains  similar  proper- 


LIME      DATES      FIGS  199 

ties  to  the  lime  and  lemon  with  some  bitter  matter.  It  is 
not  extensively  used,  but  makes  a  cool  and  refreshing 
drink,  and  a  few  people  like  the  fruit." 

"Are  there  no  important  fruits,  other  than  what  you 
have  discussed?" 

"Yes,  dates  and  figs.  The  dried  dates  and  figs  of  com- 
merce are  the  richest  of  all  the  fruits." 

"What  is  the  average  composition  of  them?" 

"They  contain  more  than  two-thirds  solid  matter,  about 
four  per  cent  of  flesh-forming  substances ;  and  nearly  fifty 
per  cent  sugar,  considerable  waste  material,  and  mineral 
matter.  The  date  contains  very  nearly  the  same  properties 
as  the  fig,  with  the  addition  of  pectose  or  gum.  These 
fruits  dried  contain  nearly  the  same  proportion  of,  heat- 
producing  and  tissue-forming  substances  as  rice,  and  will 
therefore  support  life  for  a  considerable  length  of  time." 

"Are  they  used  extensively  as  food?'^ 

"Xot  so  extensively  as  they  should  be,  for  figs  are  quite 
laxative,  which  is  due,  partly,  to  the  seeds,  and  partly  to 
the  fact  that  figs,  especially  green  figs,  have  a  digestive 
agent  similar  to  that  of  a  pineapple,  only  less  pronounced. 
They  are  used  more  by  vegetarians  than  others,  and  de- 
serve a  favorable  place  in  our  dietaries,  but  should  always 
be  cooked." 

"Olives  are  only  used  for  two  purposes  in  this  country ; 
that  is,  we  use  the  oil  made  from  the  olive  and  the  green 
olive  for  pickles.  The  oil  is  valuable,  but  the  pickles  are 
tough,  and  have  no  use  as  food.  Large  doses  of  olive 
oil  have  been  recommended  for  the  removal  of  gall 
stones." 

"Citrons  have  no  other  use  except  for  flavoring,  but 
not  many  people  like  them  for  that  purpose.  They  are 
tough  and  well-nigh  insoluble,  and  should  not  be  eaten  for 
food." 


200  CITRON     PRESERVING  FRUITS 

"Doctor.  I  believe  it  would  be  good  for  you  to  suggest 
something  about  preserving  fruits." 

"Fruits  are  usually  kept  either  by  being  dried  or  canned. 
Drying  is  an  easy  process  with  proper  appliances.  Sun- 
dried  fruits  are  better  than  no  fruit  at  all ;  but  any  slow 
process  of  drying  where  the  fruit  is  exposed  to  the  atmos- 
phere, furnishes  the  best  opportunity  for  all  kinds  of  in- 
sects and  bacteria  to  secure  a  lodging  place,  so  that  sun- 
drying,  or  any  slow  process  of  drying,  should  be  avoided 
as  far  as  possible.  Fruits  that  are  quickly  dried  in 
closed  ovens  are  very  much  better,  and  if  packed  at  once 
and  kept  from  exposure  they  will  be  much  less  likely 
to  be  infested  with  insects,  and  in  every  way  superior  to 
sun-dried  fruit." 

"How  should  fruit  be  prepared  for  both  canning  and 
drying?" 

"The  peel,  core  and  all  damaged  places  should  be  re- 
moved. It  is  a  very  bad  practice  to  either  dry  or  can 
fruit  with  the  skins,  for  they  cannot  afterwards  be  re- 
moved, and  the  skin  is  particularly  objectionable  in  dried 
fruit,  and  any  other  kind,  unless  thoroughly  cleansed  be- 
fore being  canned." 

"Why  is  it  that  so  many  people  do  not  succeed  in  prop- 
erly preserving  canned  fruit?" 

"Because  it  is  not  properly  canned." 

"What  is  wrong  with  the  ordinary  method?" 

"The  principle  of  canning  fuit  merely  involves  the  de- 
struction of  bacteria,  and  then  closing  the  cans  so  that 
neither  they  nor  air  can  enter  it." 

"How  should  this  be  done?" 

"It  is  best  to  cook  the  fruits  in  the  cans,  so  that  no 
bacteria  can  enter  in  filling  them.  If  this  cannot  be 
done,  the  cans  should  be  set  in  hot  water  alter  they  are 
filled.     Probably  where  more  failures  are  made  than  any- 


CANNING  FRUITS  201 

where  else,  is  with  the  Hds.  It  is  not  oiilv  ncccssarv  to 
have  the  cans  thoroughly  sterihzed  hy  being  boiled  in 
water,  but  the  lids  must  also  be  sterilized.  If  fruit  can- 
not be  cooked  in  the  cans,  the  lids  should  be  sterilized 
and  put  on  the  cans  with  a  small  vent  for  escaping  steam. 
If  they  are  then  immediately  sealed,  so  that  they  are 
air-tight,  there  will  be  no  trouble  in  properly  preserving 
them.  It  must  be  borne  in  mind  that  nothing  should 
touch  spoons,  lids  or  anything  that  comes  in  contact  with 
the  fruit  after  being  sterilized  in  boiling  water." 
"What  do  you  mean  by  sterile  or  sterilizing?" 
"Anything  is  said  to  be  sterile  when  it  has  been  sub- 
jected to  a  degree  of  heat  sufBcient  to  kill  all  kinds  of 
bacteria." 

"How  much  heat  is  ordinarily  required?" 
"There  are  very  few  microbes  of  any  kind  but  what  are 
killed  after  being  subjected  to  boiling  water  for,  say,  fif- 
teen minutes.  A  high  degree  of  heat,  if  it  be  moist,  such 
as  steam,  answers  the  same  purpose,  or  better.  The  whole 
theory  of  preserving  canned  goods  rests  upon  the  destruc- 
tion of  bacteria  and  the  elimination  of  air;  and  as  the  mi- 
crobes cling  to  every  known  substance,  it  is  necessary 
to  have  the  hands  perfectly  clean  and  all  the  instruments 
or  vessels  sterilized  in  which  the  fruit  is  handled,  as  al- 
ready suggested.  It  is  best  to  cook  the  fruit  in  the  cans 
with  the  lids  on.  This  can  be  done  by  filling  the  cans 
and  setting  them  in  a  kettle  of  boiling  water,  so  that  the 
cans  are  almost  entirely  covered.  This  prevents  the  en- 
trance of  bacteria  from  handling,  and  sterilizes  the  fruit 
in  the  jar." 

"Which   do  you  consider  the   most  important  of  the 
nuts  that  are  used  in  this  country?" 

"The  peanut.     The  consumption  of  peanuts  has  grown 


202  PEANUTS 

to  be  enormous,  and  is  destined  to  be  many  times  greater 
than  it  is." 

"Why  do  you  say  that?" 

"Because  the  peanut  is  a  palatable  and  rich  food,  and 
it  supplies  most  of  the  necessary  elements  to  sustain 
life." 

"What  properties  has  the  peanut?" 

"The  largest  ingredient  of  the  peanut  is  its  oil,  amount- 
ing to  about  fifty  per  cent.     It  has,  in  addition,  consid- 
erable gum,  the  equivalent  of  starch.     The  mineral  mat- 
cent,  waste  material." 
ter  amounts  to  nearly  two  per  cent.,  and  about  four  per 

"What  about  the  tissue-forming  substance?" 

"The  nitrogenous  part  of  the  peanut  is  high,  amount- 
ing to  twenty-four  per  cent   or  more." 

"But,  Doctor,  it  is  said  to  be  a  great  source  of  dyspep- 
sia." 

"It  is  at  least  fair  to  say  that  it  is  very  dif^cult  to  di- 
gest." 

"Why  is  this?" 

"Because  it  is  really  a  concentrated  food;  practically,  it 
has  no  water,  and  consequently  it  is  exceedingly  solid. 
It  naturally  follows  that  the  digestive  juices  will  not  pen- 
etrate the  particles  very  quickly.  V'ery  few  persons  will 
masticate  the  peanut  to  finer  particles  than  cracked  wheat." 

"How  can  this  difBculty  be  overcome?" 

"Only  by  grinding.  Extraordinary  care  in  masticat 
ing  peanuts  by  keeping  them  in  the  mouth  as  long  as 
possible,  overcomes  part  of  their  objectionable  texture." 

"Why  do  you  think  the  peanut  has  a  great  future?" 

"Because  nearly  everybody  likes  it,  and  it  supplies 
nearly  everything  necessary  to  live  on,  and  is  compara- 
tively cheap.  It  is  only  a  question  of  time  until  it  is  bet- 
tef  prepared  and  furnished  to  us  so  that  it  can  be  used 


VARIOUS  NUTS  203 

with  other  foods;  for  it  seems  admirably  adapted  to  fur- 
nish botli  the  neeessary  oil  and  flavor  for  tlie  cereals, 
which  are  deficient  in  both." 

"What  about  other  nuts?" 

"All  nuts  contain  a  large  per  cent  of  oil.  The  chest- 
nut is  the  only  one  that  contains  a  great  amount  of 
starch ;  probably  the  hickory  nut  is  really  the  most  palata- 
ble of  all,  and  is  ri.ch  in  oil." 

"Are  not  pecans  good?" 

"The  pecan  has  a  bitter  shell  which  makes  it  disagree- 
able, if  any  particle  be  left  in  contact  with  it.  It  does  not 
vary  greatly  in  composition  from  the  hickory  nut.  The 
only  nut  having  special  use  is  the  almond." 

"What  special  use  has  it?" 

"As  it  does  not  contain  any  starch,  has  an  agreeable 
flavor,  and  is  quite  a  rich  food,  both  in  tissue-forming 
and  heat-producing  substance,  it  is  very  valuable  in 
Bright's  disease.  It  is  exceedingly  tough  and  solid,  but 
probably  not  so  much  so  as  filberts  and  hazelnuts.  These 
are  also  rich  nuts,  but  need  grinding  more  than  any  of 
the  others,  and  unless  they  are  ground,  tliey  are  exceed- 
ingly indigestible." 

"Among  nuts,  what  prominence  would  you  give  wal- 
nuts?" 

"The  black  walnut  is  rather  a  strong-flavored  and  very 
oily  nut.  The  whUe  walnut,  or  Ijutternut,  is  still  stronger 
in  its  flavor,  but  not  so  rich  in  oil.  The  English  walnut, 
so-called,  which  is  principally  grown  for  market,  is  a 
rich,  oily  nut.  It  is  not  so  firm  as  many  of  the  other  nuts, 
and  has  some  advantages  over  them.  Probably  the  most 
oily  of  all  nuts  is  the  Brazil  nut.  They  are  also  quite 
firm,  but  almost  pure  oil." 

"Are  there  no  other  nuts  that  you  think  worthy  of  no- 
tice?"    . 


204  COCOANUT      NUT  FOODS 

"None,  unless  we  except  the  cocoanut,  which  is  becom- 
ing quite  an  article  of  commerce,  especially  its  oil.  It  is 
now  used  extensively  for  making  soap,  and  other  pur- 
poses." 

"Do  you  consider  the  cocoanut  a  good  article  of  food?" 

"I  do  not.  It  is  one  of  the  toughest  and  most  indi- 
gestible of  all  articles  used  for  food;  even  shredded  co- 
coanut Is  extremely  difficult  to  digest,. and  the  only  way 
that  it  can  be  ever  used  successfully  as  a  food,  is  to  pro- 
vide some  way  of  pulverizing  it  to  make  it  as  fine  as 
flour,  or  nearly  so,  which  would  not  only  make  it  digesti- 
ble, but  more  palatable,  as  well." 

"Then,  Doctor,  you  are  cjuite  a  friend  to  nuts,  pro- 
vided they  can  be  used  properly;  but  your  declaration 
that  they  are  wholesome  don't  agree  with  common  expe- 
rience." 

"Well,  if  the  people  would  undertake  to  live  on  any  of 
the  cereals  without  their  being  ground  or  cooked,  the  re- 
sults would  be  worse  than  the  ill  effects  commonly  at- 
tributed to  nuts.  The  Sanitas  Food  Co.,  of  Battle  Creek, 
Mich.,  are  making  nut  foods  that  are  as  much  easier  di- 
gested, compared  with  raw  nuts,  as  Granose  or  Granola, 
compared  with  unground  and  uncooked  wheat.  Nuts 
have  long  been  known  as  rich  food,  but  owing  to  their 
solid  texture,  and  the  natural  inclination  to  swallow  them 
in  uncrushed  particles,  they  have,  for  many  people,  been 
considered  rather  indigestible.  The  Sanitas  Food  Co. 
have  overcome  this  difficulty  and  given  the  world .  the 
most  delicious  and  fattening  foods  ever  manufactured. 
They  answer  every  purpose  of  meat,  and  greatly  strength- 
en the  cause  of  vegetarianism." 

"Doctor,  if  you  connect  anything  with  vegetarianism 
it  will  prejudice  it  in  the  estimation  of  some  people." 

"That  ought  not  to   be   so.     Much  of  the   prejudice 


NUT  FOODS  205 

against  vegetarianism  is  clue  to  the  fact  that  most  vege- 
tables do  not  supply  either  enough  fat  or  tissue-food. 
These  defects  are  supplied  by  using  the  entire  grain  of 
such  cereals  as  wheat  in  connection  with  nuts,  as  they  are 
rich,  both  in  fat  and  tissue-forming  elements." 
"Then  nut  fats  are  superior  to  animal  fats?" 
"Yes.  Heretofore  cream  has  held  first  place  among 
common  fats,  but  the  nut-cream  and  nut-butter,  made  by 
Sanitas  Food  Co.,  are  superior  to  either  cream,  butter 
or  animal  fats." 

"In  what  particular?" 

"All  animals  are  subject  to  disease — cows  especially 
to  tuberculosis — besides,  cows  are  frequently  kept  in  foul 
places,  milked  by  soiled  hands,  and  the  milk  kept  in  un- 
sanitary places  and  in  vessels  washed  in  water  containing 
typhoid  or  other  bacteria.  These  dangers  are  avoided 
in  the  nut  foods;  but  there  are  still  stronger  reasons  for 
their  use.  The  particles  of  fat  are  so  minutely  subdivided 
or  emulsified,  that  they  are  readily  taken  up  in  the  sys- 
tem. The  animal  fats  will  not  sustain  life,  as  they  con- 
tain practically  nothing  but  heat-producing  elements.  The 
nut  foods  will  sustain  life  and  more  quickly  fatten  than 
anything  yet  discovered.  Nut  butter  and  almond  butter 
are  the  most  delicious  and  appetizing  fats  ever  produced, 
and  they  will  very  likely  displace  cod  liver  oil  as  a  fat- 
producing  food  for  consumptives." 

"Why  not  combine  nuts  with  grain  foods?" 
"The  Sanitas  Food  Co.  has  done  so  with  great  success. 
Long  ago  I  was  impressed  with  the  belief  that  emulsified 
nurs  could  be  combined  with  dextrinized  or  pre-digested 
starch  so  as  to  make  the  richest  and  best  food  for  fatten- 
ing yet  discovered.  The  Sanitas  Food  Co.  has  made 
such  a  food  and  named  it  Bromose.  As  a  fat-producer 
and  food-tonic,  Bromose  has  produced  most  remarkable 


206  NUT  FOODS 

results.  Nuttose  is  another  similar  food,  and  might  aptly 
be  called  vegetable  meat.  Granose  and  Bromose  used 
together  have  restored  many  invalids  to  vigorous  health. 
Knowledge  of  these  foods  are  of  so  much  benefit  that  I 
have  spoken  of  them  at  some  length." 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

CONDIMENTS  AND  DRINKS. 

"Doctor,  what  do  you  mean  by  condiments?" 

"Well,  the  word  has  a  general  and  well-understood 
meaning',  but,  for  my  use,  I  would  explain  it  by  saying 
that  it  should  be  pronounced  by  emphasizing  the  second 
syllable  and  sounding  the  'i'  long,  making  it  con-die- 
ments.'' 

"Then  how  would  you  define  it?" 

"  I  would  say  that  it  is  the  thmg  we  eat  with  our  tood 

"But  it  is  a  hot  subject." 

"That  is  a  hot  criticism,  Doctor." 
which  beguiles  us  to  death." 

"You  mean  by  that,  that  condiments  burn?" 

"Yes;  take  pepper;  it  irritates  and  burns  the  membranes 
very  much  Hke  fire." 

"But  the  doctors  say  it  aids  digestion." 

"So  it  would  warm  your  hand  to  put  it  in  the  fire." 

"But  that  would  destroy  the  hand." 

"So  the  pepper  has  a  tendency  to  destroy  the  digestive 
organs." 

"If  that  be  true,  how  can  it  aid  digestion?" 

"Anything  that  irritates  the  mucous  membranes  of  the 
stomach  increases  the  gastric  secretion,  and  this  is  what 
pepper  does;  but  in  doing  this,  it  inflames  the  stomach, 
causes  excessive  secretion  of  acid,  and  an  uncertain  num- 
ber of  stomach  disorders." 

"Is  that  why  so  many  people  want  to  drink  ice  water 
at  meal  times?" 

"It  is  one  of  the  reasons.  If  a  mouthful  of  pepper  be 
swallowed,  the  first  impulse  is  to  drink  some  cold  water 


208  PEPPER     SALT 

as  quickly  as  possible  to  relieve  the  burning  sensation. 

"When  the  stomach  is  habitually  irritated  with  pepper, 
mustard,  alcoholic  liquors,  horse  radish,  or  indigestible 
food,  cold  drinks  give  a  feeling  of  relief,  but  really  only 
aggravate  the  irritation?'' 

"Then  pepper  is  injurious?" 

"It  is  most  injurious,  and  should  have  no  place  in  our 
dietaries,  and  should  only  be  used  as  a  drug." 

"Is  pepper  worse  than  other  condiments?" 

"Probably  not;  mustard,  sage  leaves  and  horse  radish 
are  all  bad,  the  two  latter  being  worse,  if  anything,  than 
pepper." 

"How  a.bout  salt?" 

"Salt  is  much  railed  at  by  a  certain  class  of  hygienists, 
but  is  strongly  defended  by  others." 

"Which  side  is  right?" 

"If  we  are  allowed  to  make  comparison  with  the  lower 
animals,  it  would  seem  that  carniverous  (flesh-eating  ani- 
mals) care  nothing  for  salt,  while  herbivorous  (grass-eat- 
ing animals)  in  all  countries  are  intensely  fond  of  salt." 

"That  would  indicate  that  man,  living  largely  on  the 
vegetable  foods,  would  require  some  salt?" 

"Yes;  but  not  more  than  a  quarter,  and  probably  not 
more  than  one-tenth  of  what  most  people  consume.  Ex- 
cessive salt  eating  is  a  bad  habit,  but  not  so  bad  as  the 
use  of  pepper.  It  has  been  demonstrated  that  salt  retards 
digestion,  causes  skin  eruptions  and  other  derangements 
of  the  system;  and,  while  salt  is  useful,  most  persons 
would  be  benefited  if  they  would  cut  down  their  salt  eat- 
ing to  one-fourth  of  what  they  are  in  the  habit  of  using." 

"Does  vinegar  belong  to  the  same  class?" 

"Vinegar  is  bad,  but  not  wholly  so;  for  it  has  some, 
uses." 


SPICES  209 

"Haven't  you  already  said  that  vinegar  must  be  dis- 
carded?" 

"Yes;  its  uses  are  for  the  most  part  injurious,  but  still 
it  has  some  use,  when  better  acids  are  not  obtainable." 

"Then  why  abandon  it?" 

"The  abundance  of  fruits  we  have  furnish  us  acids  so 
much  superior  to  that  of  vinegar,  tlie  question  of  contin- 
uing the  use  of  vinegar  ought  not  to  be  considered  at  all, 
when  fruits  can  be  obtained." 

"Then  you  would  use  sour  fruit  on  salads,  instead  of 
vinegar?" 

"Yes,  or  else  not  eat  the  salads  at  all." 

"Why  is  vinegar  so  objectionable?" 

"Because  it  is  a  ferment  filled  with  vinegar  worms, 
which  can  be  seen  with  the  naked  eye.  If  you  will  get 
some  vinegar  plant  and  examine  it,  you  will  not  care  for 
the  vinegar  afterwards." 

"What  fruits  would  you  recommend  instead  of  vinegar?" 

"Limes,  lemons,  grape  fruit,  sour  oranges,  sour  grapes, 
sour  berries  or  even  rhubarb." 

"How  about  spices?" 

"Some  of  the  spices  are  not  objectionable." 

"Which  would  you  give  first  place?" 

"I  w^ould  give  the  first  place  to  nutmeg." 

"Why  so?" 

"Because  it  has  an  agreeable  flavor,  is  mostly  oil,  and 
is  not  particularly  objectionable  in  any  way." 

"You  favor  nutmeg,  but  condemn  other  spices?" 

"All-spice  is  not  ver}'  injurious,  but  its  flavor  is  not 
pleasant.  Few  people  care  for  all-spice  as  a  flavor,  but 
almost  everybody  likes  cinnamon." 

"Then  you  would  strongly  recommend  cinnamon?" 

"Well,  I  would  not  recommend  cinnamon  or  pepper- 
mint for  uses  in  food  except  as  a  medicine." 

"Why  so?" 


210  VINEGAR     SPICES 

"Because  both  cinnamon  and  peppermint  kill  bacteria 
to  a  certain  extent,  and  are  known  as  antiseptics.  They 
would  both  have  a  tendency  to  arrest  the  processes  of  di- 
gestion. They  also  have  a  tendency  to  an  est  processes 
of  decay,  and  both  are  useful  to  relieve  a  sour  stomach. 
Owing  to  this  fact,  they  are  not  desirable  to  mix  with 
food  for  general  use,  but  are  valuable  for  special  uses, 
where  their  antiseptic  properties  are  needed." 

"How  would  you  class  cloves,  caraway  seed,  ginger, 
etc.?" 

"Cloves  are  ver}'  astringent,  but  the  small  quantity  used 
is  not  likely  to  do  harm.  Caraway  seeds  cause  nausea  in 
many  people,  which  shows  that  they  are  irritating  in  their 
nature,  and  should  not  be  used  at  all.  Ginger  is  a  very 
pleasant  stimulating  condiment.  It  is  quite  useful,  too, 
when  such  stimulants  are  needed,  but  it  is  not  desirable 
for  habitual  use." 

"Doctor,  you  are  much  against  the  ordinary  spices 
used  by  the  cooks,  what  about  tomato  catsup,  pickles, 
etc.?" 

"As  to  tomato  catsup,  if  it  does  not  contain  irritating 
substances  other  than  the  tomato,  its  use  is  not  particu- 
larly objectionable,  except  where  acids  are  harmful;  but 
as  to  pickled  cucumbers,  onions,  cabbage  and  olives,  they 
are  all  tougK,  and  if  one  cares  to  be  free  from  aches  and 
pains,  he  should  let  all  of  them  alone." 

"You  have  not  mentioned  olive  oil.  Doctor?" 

"There  is  no  objection  to  olive  oil,  and  it  may,  at  times, 
be  very  useful,  where  such  food  is  needed." 

"Are  these  all  the  spices  or  condiments  in  general  use?" 

"All  the  important  ones,  although  anise,  fennel,  pars- 
ley, sorrel,  are  used  to  some  extent,  but  not  enough  to 
be  of  any  particular  injury  or  benefit  either." 


USE  AND  ABUSE  OF  SPICES  211 

"Then  you  don't  advise  the  use  of  flavoring  or  spices 
at  all?" 

"There  is  one  general  objection  to  all  of  them,  and  that 
is  this:  they  have  a  tendency  to  stimulate  the  appetite 
and  cause  one  to  eat  too  nnich,  and  as  over-eating  is  a 
practice  well-nigh  universal  and  injurious,  the  things  that 
favor  it  should  not  be  encouraged." 

"Do  I  understand  from  this  that  you  would  not  use  fla- 
vorings at  all?'' 

'T  did  not  mean  that,  Init  they  should  be  used  to  make 
those  foods  we  do  not  like,  but  ought  to  eat,  more  palata- 
ble." 

"Give  us  an  illustration  " 

"A  great  many  people  sufifer  from  uric  acid  headaches, 
the  result  of  meat  diet  and  constipation.  Now,  such  per- 
sons may  not  care  for  cereals  or  coarse  vegetables,  and 
would,  therefore,  not  eat  them,  to  any  considerable  ex- 
tent, because  they  do  not  like  them.  The  proper  use, 
then,  for  flavors,  is  to  take  the  foods  that  such  a  person 
ought  to  eat,  and  flavor  them  so  they  would  be  agreeable. 
This  would  make  the  coarse  cereals  palatable,  and  if  sub- 
stituted for  their  meat  diet,  their  headaches  would  disap- 
pear, and  their  health  be  entirely  restored." 

"Doctor,  suppose  we  go  and  take  something?" 

"All  right;  I  will  drink  a  glass  of  mineral  water  and 
then  discuss  drinks." 

"Doctor,  since  you  do  not  drink  anything  very  stimu- 
lating, you  probably  have  something  caustic  to  say  about 
liquor  drinking?'' 

"I  don't  propose  to  commence  on  alcoholic  liquors,  but 
on  the  drinks  that  pave  the  way  for  them." 

"That  is  a  new  idea.  You  don't  mean  to  say  that  other 
drinks  cause  an  appetite  for  liquor,  do  you?" 


212  INCREASE  OF  NERVOUSNESS 

"Such  a  thing  as  an  appetite  for  hquor,  strictly  speak- 
ing, does  not  often  exist." 

"What,  then,  is  it?" 

"It  is  a  mental  condition  which  makes  the  individual 
crave  stimulants." 

"Then  it  is  a  craving  for  the  effects  and  not  the  taste?" 

"That  is  it.  A  well  person  is  free  from  nervousness, 
and  does  not  want  any  stimulants." 

"Then  our  habits  afifect  the  nervous  system?" 

"Yes;  nervousness  apparently  increases  with  each  gen- 
eration. It  is  often  attributed  to  worry,  but  the  real 
cause  is  the  habits  of  the  people,  and  a  large  share  of  it 
is  due  to  their  drinking  habits." 

"Then  nervousness  does  not  result  merely  from  worry 


or  overwork,  as  many  people  suppose?" 

"No;  people  are  mainly  worried  because  they  are  ner- 
vous. If  we  were  not  nervous,  the  ordinary  cares  of  life 
would  not  cause  us  to  worry." 

"Doctor,  I  am  very  anxious  to  know  what  you  are  go- 
ing to  charge  this  to?" 

"To  no  one  thing]  but  I  wish  to  show  the  relation  of 
other  causes  to  nervousness." 

"Since  you  have  already  spoken  of  water,  I  suppose  you 
will  charge  tea  and  cofifee  with  a  good  deal?" 

"Yes,  cofifee  in  this  country,  and  tea  in  other  countries." 

"I  thought  the  general  opinion  was  that  cofifee  was  not 
Injurious?" 

"General  opinion  is  about  as  safe  to  guide  us  as  it 
would  be  to  have  a  mule  put  in  a  pilot  house  to  steer  a 
ship  across  the  ocean.  As  an  illustration,  tnere  are  num- 
bers of  people  who  are  sick  every  week,  or  at  least  every 
month,  and  are  foolish  enough  to  say  that  nothing  they 
eat  or  do,  hurts  them;  and  it  has  often  struck  me  that  it 
would  be  just  as  reasonable  to  say  of  a  man  who  is  hung 


STIMULANTS,  THEIR  EFFECTS  213 

till  he  is  dead,  that  the  hanging  didn't  injure  him,  but  that 
he  merely  died  because  he  stopped  breathing." 

"Why  do  you  say  such  things?" 

"To  get  people  to  understand  tiiat  when  tliey  arc- 
knocked  over,  something  struck  them." 

"What  bearing  has  this  on  coffee?" 

"That  -effects  have  causes." 

"How  can  you  prove  that  coffee  has  any  bad  effects?" 

"By  drinking  it  or  watching  others." 

"That  doesn't  throw  any  light  on  the  subject." 

"Well,  coffee  is  a  stimulant,  and  the  heart  has  only  a 
limited  capacity.  When  it  is  stimulated  beyond  that,  it 
must  be  correspondingly  weak,  just  as  it  was  stimulated 
to  increased  activity  by  the  coffee.  Suppose  w^e  illustrate  it 
in  this  way:  We  will  take  two  tanks  of  water  and  con- 
nect them  with  a  pipe.  Now,  if  each  tank  be  two-thirds 
full,  the  pressure  will  be  equal;  but  if  the  water  be  pumped 
from  one  to  the  other,  the  one  will  have  its  pressure  in- 
creased just  to  the  extent^that  the  water  is  taken  from  the 
other,  and  the  one  from  which  the  water  is  taken  will 
have  its  pressure  decreased." 

"Now  are  you  sure  that  the  effects  of  coffee  are  simi- 
lar?" 

"It  is  very  much  like  it;  people  who  drink  two  or  three 
cups  of  strong  coffee  could  hardly  get  along  without  it 
If  they  do  not  have  it,  they  will  have  the  headache  and  be 
irritable,  or,  in  other  words,  there  is  relaxation,  a  weak- 
ness of  circulation  and  the  machinery  of  the  system  re- 
fuses to  run  properly  until  it  is  again  brought  under  the 
influence  of  a  new  supply  of  coffee." 

"Well,  I  suppose  I  have  seen  hundreds  of  people  of  that 
kind,  but  I  never  thought  it  was  serious." 

"Yes,  it  is;  if  coffee  is  necessary  to  keep  any  one  go- 


214  COFFEE 

ing,  so  to  speak,  such  person  might  propcriy  be  called 
a  cofifee  inebriate.'' 

''Well,  how  does  that  pave  the  way  for  liquor?" 

"In  this  way;  People  who  are  affected  by  the  use  of 
coffee  become  nervous  to  an  extent  that  is  chronic,  and 
the  condition  of  the  nervous  system  of  the  parents  is 
likely  to  be  transmitted  to  their  children." 

"Then  it  is  not  so  much  of  an  appetite  as  it  is  a  nervous 
condition?'' 

"No;  liquor  drinkers,  or  at  least  very  few  of  them,  will 
admit  that  they  drink  liquor  because  they  like  it.  It  is 
purely  an  abnormal  craving  for  some  kind  of  stimulant. 
They  don't  feel  right  without  it." 

"Then  why  don't  everybody  take  to  the  use  of  strong 
drinks?" 

"A  very  large  per  cent,  do,  but  it  must  be  remembered 
that  not  every  one  uses  stimulants  to  make  a  serious 
nervous  condition.  Besides  this,  nature  constantly  at- 
tempts to  correct  her  own  defects,  and  if  it  were  not  for 
the  fact  that  each  generation  keeps  imposing  upon  na- 
ture, we  would  soon  be  an  ideal  race.'' 

"Has  coffee  no  uses?" 

"Yes,  coffee  is  useful  as  a  drug,  is  very  pleasant  to  the 
taste,  and  if  water  and  milk  are  merely  flavored  with  cof- 
fee, and  it  is  used  as  a  flavor  more  than  something  to 
tone  up  the  nervous  system,  it  is  not  seriously  harmful, 
and  may  be,  at  times,  very  useful.  It  may  not  injure  every 
one,  but  the  habit  of  drinking  two  or  three  cups  of  cof- 
fee (strong  coffee  at  that)  is  most  pernicious,  and  not  only 
does  serious  harm,  but  is  very  likely  to  do  harm  to  un- 
born generations,  as  well  as  to  lead  to  the  use  of  stronger 
stimulants." 

"Are  there  any  other  ill  effects  from  coffee?" 


COFFEE  INEBRIETY  215 

"A  considerable  quantity  of  strong-  coffee  retards  di- 
gestion and  dors  injury  in  that  way." 

"What  property  is  it  in  cofTee  that  afifects  the  nervous 
system?" 

"The  name  given  it  is  caffeine.  It  contains  some  other 
properties,  but  it  is  the  caffeine  that  gives  it  its  stimulat- 
ing effects.  The  practice  of  giving  coffee  to  children 
cannot  be  too  strongly  condemned." 

"What  are  the  symptoms  of  coffee  inebriety?" 

"Nervous  tremor,  languor,  prostration,  sleeplessness, 
craving,  with  headaches  when  it  is  not  supplied  in  suffi- 
cient strength  or  amount." 

'Tf  coffee  be  used  at  all,  how  should  it  be  made?" 

"Coffee  is  the  least  harmful  when  the  smallest  amount 
of  its  active  properties  are  extracted.  The  longer  it  is 
steeped  in  water  and  the  more  it  is  boiled,  the  more  in- 
jurious it  is.  It  should  not  be  strong,  and  should  never 
be  permitted  to  boil;  nor  should  it  be  permitted  to  stand 
for  great  length  of  time,  but  the  hot  water  should  be 
poured  on  and  left  only  for  a  few  minutes,  to  merely  ex- 
tract the  aroma  of  the  coffee." 

"Doctor,  how  does  tea  compare  with  coffee?" 

"It  is  very  similar  to  coffee,  and  there  is  much  discus- 
sion as  to  which  is  the  more  wholesome  or  harmful." 

"What  is  your  opinion?" 

"Tea,  in  my  opinion,  is  still  worse  than  coffee.  It  is 
perhaps  not  quite  so  much  of  a  stimulant,  but  contains 
a  high  per  cent,  of  tannic  acid.  This  makes  tea  an  as- 
tringent and  a  great  source  of  constipation.  It  therefore 
deranges  the  system,  causes  nervousness,  insomnia,  and 
has  more  serious  effect  on  the  digestive  organs  than 
coffee." 

"In  what  way  does  it  affect  digestion?" 

"Well,  it  affects  digestion  directly,  because  of  the  fact 


216  WHEN  SPECIALLY  INJURIOUS 

that  the  tannic  acid  of  tea  precipitates  albumen  in  the 
foods.  This  may  be  better  understood  by  saying  that 
if  tannic  acid  be  apphed  to  the  white  of  an  egg,  which  is 
albumen,  it  will  make  a  tough  substance  of  it  quite  like 
leather.  It  is,  in  fact,  this  process  of  applying  tannic 
acids  to  skins   that  makes  leather." 

"Is  that  the  reason  why,  that  when  egg  is  used  to  clarify 
coffee   it  forms  in  lumps?'' 

"Yes;  that  is  the  same  principle.  It  clarifies  the  coffee 
by  being  coagulated  and  gathering  the  coffee  grounds 
as  it  settles,  and  when  egg  is  used  to  clarify  coffee  or 
any  other  drink  it  should  be  strained." 

"Doctor,  you  say  tea  and  coffee  are  both  bad.  They 
are  certainly  not  worse  than  tobacco?" 

"No ;  they  are  not  worse  than  tobacco ;  but  tobacco  does 
not  belong  to  foods,  and  we  cannot  discuss  it  now." 

"Is  there  any  other  objection  to  tea  and  coffee?" 

"Yes;  both  tea  and  coffee  are  especially  injurious  to 
persons  who  have  what  the  physicians  call  the  arthritic 
tendency." 

"What  do  you  mean  by  that?" 

"A  large  number  of  diseases  result  because  the  system 
does  not  perfectly  clear  itself  of  nitrogenous  matter.  These 
various  ailments  are  styled  uric  acid  diseases." 

"What  are  some  of  them?" 

"Probably  the  most  universal  one  is  sick  headache 
Periodical  sick  headaches  are  almost  certain  to  be  the  re- 
sult of  uric  acid  in  the  blood." 

"Then  tea  and  coffee  add  to  the  uric  acid  in  the  sys- 
tem?" 

"Yes;  people  who  have  sick  headache,  asthma,  bron- 
chitis, rheumatism,  gout,  epilepsy,  and  diseases  of  the 
stomach  generally,  should  drink  neither  tea  nor  coffee." 

"Has  tea  any  particular  use?" 


COCOA  217 

"It  is  sometimes  used  because  of  its  astringent  proper- 
ties in  diarrhoea,  or  summer  cx)mplaint,  and  is  really  more 
of  a  medicine  than  food." 

"Doctor,  from  what  you  say,  I  conclude  that  the  abuse 
of  tea  and  cofifee  is  almost  as  far-reaching  in  its  effects  as 
that  of  alcoholic  liquors?" 

"You  are  right;  and  it  is  really  a  pitiable  sight  to  see 
people  who  are  trying  to  save  the  world  from  its  vices 
adopt  such  habits  that  they  transmit  such  traits  and  char- 
acteristics to  their  own  children,  that  the  very  evils  they 
seek  to  remedy  are  fostered  by  their  own  ofifspring." 

"Cocoa  is  a  preparation  made  from  the  bean  or  seeds 
of  the  cacao  tree." 

"What  is  its  composition?" 

"It  contains  a  very  large  per  cent,  of  oil,  theobromine, 
which  is  very  similar  to  the  cafifeine  in  colTee,  and  theine 
in  tea.  The  cocoa  also  contains  a  little  albumen,  starch, 
fiber  and  mineral  matter." 

"Where  does  cocoa  come  from?" 

"Principally  from  the  West  Indies,  Brazil  and  the  north- 
ern countries  of  South  America." 

"How  is  cocoa  prepared?" 

"The  seeds  grow  in  a  pod  and  are  removed,  dried,  fer- 
mented and  then  ground.  Each  manufacturer  of  cocoa, 
of  course,  having  peculiar  ways  of  preparing  his  product." 

"How  are  the  ordinary  preparations  made?" 

"After  the  seeds  have  been  treated  as  described,  they 
are  made  into  a  paste,  to  which  starch  and  sugar  is  added." 

"Do  you  consider  it  a  good  drink?" 

"It  is  less  injurious  than  tea  or  cofifee,  and  owing  to 
the  amount  of  oil  it  contains,  it  is  much  richer  than  either 
of  those.  People  who  do  not  tolerate  fats  or  oils,  should 
not  drink  cocoa.  It  is  slightly  stimidating,  and  contains 
some  insoluble  matter.     Some  people  do  not  like  cocoa. 


218  CHOCOLATE      CEREAL  COFFEE 

because  it  presents  an  unsightly  appearance,  on  account 
of  a  scum  of  oil  appearing  on  top  of  the  cup.  If  this  is 
not  relished,  it  may  be  skimmed  ofif,  either  with  bread  or 
in  some  other  way.  Cocoa  butter  is  said  to  be  a  very 
agreeable  and  useful  oil," 

"P^or  what  purpose?" 

"Many  people  prefer  cocoa  butter  to  any  other  fat  or 
oil  for  table  use.  It  melts  at  a  very  low  temperature,  and 
is  very  easily  dissolved.  It  is  also  used  to  a  very  consid- 
erable extent  for  the  administration  of  drugs  in  capsules 
or  suppositories,  and  for  anointing  the  skin  in  eruptive 
fevers;  also  useful  as  inunction  while  massaging." 

"Chocolate  is  made  from  the  same  material  as  cocoa, 
but  is  deprived  of  part  of  the  oil  (it  is  supposed  that 
chocolate  contains  some  of  the  husks,  as  well  as  the 
seeds).  It  is  not  quite  so  rich,  ordinarily,  as  cocoa,  and 
some  people  prefer  it.  Chocolate  is  also  used  extensively 
in  confectionery.  It  might  very  well  be  used  to  flavor 
foods  to  make  them  more  palatable.  It  is  also  a  nutri- 
tious food  when  taken  alone." 

"Doctor,  you  don't  seem  to  favor  chocolate  for  general 
use;  you  say  that  tea  and  coffee  are  both  very  harmful, 
and  that  many  who  use  them  are  really  tea  and  coffee 
inebriates;  now,  recognizing  the  universal  desire  for 
some  drink,  what  can  they  drink  that  will  not  harm  them?" 

"Cereal  coffee.  The  Sanitarium  Food  Cu.  make  what 
they  call  Caramel  Cereal.  It  is  a  pleasant  and  harmless 
drink,  and  will  greatly  benefit  the  nervous,  anaemic  and 
dyspeptic.  It  has  no  particular  food  value,  and  its  manu- 
facturers claim  none.  The  benefits  of  any  cereal  coffee 
are  purely  negative,  and  in  that  lies  their  value;  they  do 
not  poison;  coffee  does.  Claims  for  great  nourishment 
from  cereal  coffees  cannot  be  sustained." 

"Doctor,  vou  stated  awhile  asro  that  tea  and  coffee  were 


ALCOHOL  219 

abuseJ  to  such  an  extent  tliat  their  effects  were  ahnost  as 
far-reaching  as  alochul." 

"Yes;  but  I  did  not  mean  by  that  that  the  effects  were 
as  violent." 

"What  is  ordinarily  understood  by  the  term  alcohol?" 

"Used  in  a  general  way,  alcohol  includes  all  alcoholic 
liquors,  such  as  whisky,  beer,  wine,  ale,  gin,  as  well  as 
chemically  pure  alcohol." 

"Is  there  not  nuich  disagreement  as  to  the  value  of  al- 
cohol when  moderately  used,  as  to  whether  it  is  really 
a  food  or  not?" 

"It  has  been  demonstrated  that  tlie  system  will  absorb 
a  small  amount  of  alcohol  because  it  is  not  exUaled  in  the 
breath  and  cannot  be  found  in  the  excretions.  It  is,  there- 
fore, fair  to  conclude  that  it  is  burned  up  in  the  system, 
just  the  same  as  fats  and  starches  are.'' 

"Then  it  would  seem  from  this.  Doctor,  that  if  a  small 
amount  of  alcohol  is  absorbed  as  food,  it  would  not  be 
injurious?^' 

"But  you  forget  that  I  have  already  explained  that  a 
healthy  person  has  no  need  for  stimulants,  but  that  they 
are  an  injury  instead  of  a  benefit.  This  is  especially  true 
of  alcohol." 

"Why  is  it  more  true  of  alcohol  than  any  other  stimu- 
lant?" 

"Because  it  causes  the  tissues  of  the  body  to  be  changed, 
although  it  is  claimed  that  some  persons  can  use  a  small 
amount  of  alcohol  without  any  discoverable  change  in 
the  tissues  of  the  system." 

"Then,  if  that  be  true,  it  must  explain  the  constant  ten- 
dency of' those  who  use  alcohol  to  increase  the  quantity?" 

"Yes;  the  stimulating  effect  is  what  is  always  sought. 
and  as  the  change  takes  place  in  the  tissues,  it  takes  more 


-^0  EFFECTS  OF  ALCOHOL 

and  more  to  have  the  same  effect  that  the  small  amount 
orig-inally  had." 

"If  this  be  true,  it  is  a  dangerous  thing  to  use,  purely 
upon  physiological  grounds?" 

"Yes,  it  is  dangerous  to  make  a  practice  of  using  any 
kind  of  alcohohc  liquors,  for  the  reasons  explained." 

"What  is  the  character  of  the  changes  usually  made  by 
the  continued  use  of  alcoholic  liquors?" 

"It  changes  the  texture  of  the  liver,  blood  vessels, 
kidneys  and  the  digestive  organs  generally.  It  makes 
the  individual  much  more  susceptible  to  infectious  dis- 
eases, especially  typhoid  fever  and  pneumonia." 

"Are  there  any  other  ill  effects  resulting  from  the  use 
of  alcoholic  liquors?" 

"Yes;  all  those  cases  described  under  arthritic  tenden- 
cies resulting  from  uric  acid  in  the  blood,  are  unfavorably 
affected  by  all  alcoholic  liquors,  or,  more  especially,  malt 
liquors,  that  contain  acids,  as  nearly  all  the  malt  liquors 
and  wines  do,  so  that  persons  having  sick  headache,  rheu- 
matism or  kindred  ailments,  must  not  use  liquors  at  all." 

"Doctor,  doesn't  the  use  of  alcohol  lessen  the  desire 
for  food?" 

"Yes.  if  a  certain  amount  of  alcoholic  liquors  is  used 
up  by  the  system,  it  corresponds  or  equals  a  considerable 
amount  of  heat-producing  food;  and  as  it  contains  no 
waste  material,  it  would  naturally  have  a  tendency  to  pro- 
duce constipation,  which  is  a  well-known  fact." 

"Are  these  all  the  objections  to  the  use  of  alcohol?" 

"Not  all  of  them.  Tliere  is  still  another.  That  is,  that 
alcoholic  liquors  lower  the  temperature  of  the  system." 

"I  thought  it  produced  heat  and  people  drink  liquor 
in  the  winter  time  to  warm  them?" 

"In    cold    climates    thev   know   better.     No    alcoholic 


USES  OF  ALCOHOL  221 

liquors  dare  be  permitted  in  a  northern  lumber  camp." 

"But  it  makes  a  person  feel  warm." 

"That  is  true.  It  brings  the  blood  to  the  surface,  and 
for  that  reason  assists  in  the  radiation  of  heat;  or,  in 
other  words,  it  causes  the  blood  to  flow  out  in  increased 
quantities,  so  that  it  can  cool  faster,  and  it  has  been  dem- 
onstrated, hundreds  of  times,  that  one  can  stand  much 
more  cold  without  the  use  of  liquor  than  with  it." 

"Then,  if  that  be  true,  the  use  of  liquor  ought  to  re- 
duce fevers." 

"It  is  often  given  for  that  purpose  with  good  results." 

"Then,  from  your  point  of  view,  alcohol  is  a  medicine, 
and  has  no  place  as  a  food?" 

''That  is  true ;  the  habit  of  using  liquors  for  the  purpose 
of  making  one  feel  better  results  in  untold  harm.  People 
ought  to  learn  how  to  live  so  that  they  do  not  need  liquor 
or  coflfee  or  any  other  stimulant  to  give  them  energy  suffi- 
cient for  their  work." 

"What  is  the  principal  effect  of  alcohol  as  a  medicine?" 

"It  stimulates  the  nerves,  the  action  of  the  heart,  and 
increases  the  circulation.  It  is  sometimes  useful  in  dis- 
eases of  the  stomach  as  a  stimulant  and  to  prevent  decay, 
but  should  never  be  used  except  by  the  advice  of  a  com- 
petent physician." 

"Then,  according  to  your  view,  alcohol  does  not  give 
increased  strength,  as  many  people  suppose?" 

"No;  it  merely  acts  as  a  spur  or  as  a  whip  would  on  a 
tired  horse,  and  only  draws  on  reserve  force;  and  the 
more  that  is  drawn  on,  the  sooner  it  results  in  total  inca- 
pacity for  work. 

"Probably  the  most  important  of  all  the  uses  of  alco- 
holic liquors  is  in  fevers.  When,  after  prolonged  illness, 
there  may  be  danger  of  the  heart's  failure,  liquors  arc 


222  WHEN  MOST  HARMFUL 

useful  in  such  conditions  to  stimulate  the  action  of  the 
heart." 

"Doctor,  it  is  a  connnon  belief  that  the  use  of  beer  de- 
creases the  consumption  of  other  liquors?'' 

"That  is  very  doubtful.  In  the  first  place,  it  is  diflficult 
to  get  reliable  statistics,  because  it  is  almost  impossible 
to  determine  the  number  of  people  who  drink  liquor.  It 
is  a  well-known  fact  that  the  total  abstainers  have  in- 
creased more  rapidly  in  recent  years  than  ever  before;  and 
if  this  be  taken  into  consideration  it  is  more  than  prob- 
able that  the  liquor  drinkers  still  drink  as  much  or  more 
distilled  liquors  than  ever  before,  notwithstanding  the 
enormous  consumption  of  beer,  at  least  the  general  use 
of  malt  liquors  has  increased,  rather  than  decreased, 
drunkenness." 

"Doctor,  you  have  said  nothing  about  the  moral  as- 
pect of  liquor  drinking." 

"Well,  we  are  not  dealing  with  moral  questions,  but 
we  have  already  said  that  most  people  have  neither  the 
instinct  of  brutes  nor  sufihcient  reason  to  guide  them,  and 
are,  therefore,  very  imperfectly  organized." 

"When  can  liquors  be  drank  with  the  least  injury?" 

"At  meal  time;  for  some  people,  a  small  amount  of 
liquor  at  meal  time  is  less  harmful  than  tea  or  coffee; 
but  the  man  who  drinks  quantities  of  liquor  of  any  kind 
whatsoever,  on  an  empty  stomach,  so  violently  outrages 
his  system  that  he  needs  something  added  to  or  taken 
from  his  brains." 

"Doctor,  what  kind  of  a  drink  is  soda  water?'' 

"Soda  water  is  made  by  simply  aerating  water  with 
common  carbonic  acid  gas." 

"How  is  the  gas  made?" 

"By  saturating  marble  dust  with  sulphuric  acid,  and  the 
gas  is  collected  in  a  tin-lined  tank,  and  is  drawn  of¥,  mixed 


SODA  WATER  223 

with  the  water  as  drawn.  The  flavoring  matter  is  sup- 
posed to  be  fruit  syrups;  but  for  the  most  part,  they  are 
made  of  essential  oils." 

"Is  the  drink  beneficial  or  injurious?" 

"There  is  not  enough  of  any  very  active  substance  to 
have  much  effect,  and  it  is  usually  considered  an  occa- 
sional glass  of  soda  water  does  no  harm,  although  if  tanks 
are  not  properly  lined,  the  soda  water  would  be  poison- 
ous. It  should  not  be  drunk  except  on  an  empty  stom- 
ach." 

"Ginger  ale  is  cjuitc  similar  to  soda  water,  only  has  con- 
siderable quantity  of  ginger.  It  is  sometimes  beneficial, 
but  not  a  good  drink  for  continual  use." 

"Root  beers  are  usually  fermented  drinks;  and  while 
some  people  think  them  wholesome,  it  is  difficult  to  un- 
derstand how  any  fermented  drink  can  be  of  any  use  to 
the  system,  although  they  have  probably  not  sufificient 
amount  of  ferment  to  be  of  any  particular  injury,  and 
certainly  no  benefit. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

INFANT  FEEDING. 

"Doctor,  you  have  discussed  the  processes,  of  diges- 
tion and  the  properties  of  foods,  cannot  the  people  adapt 
their  diet  to  their  needs  from  the  information  }ou  have 
given?" 

''Well,  the  advice  ought  to  be  of  great  help,  yet  there 
is  more  to  learn ;  for  we  have  not  said  a  word  about  the 
quantities  of  food  needed  for  different  conditions." 

"A  good  many  people  think  that  appetite  ought  to 
govern,  both  in  the  selection  and  amount  of  food  that 
each  person  should  eat." 

"What  else  has  been  governing  them  since  the  dawn 
of  creation?  As  the  people  now  live,  ninety-nine  out  of 
every  hundred  are  partly  or  wholly  disabled  a  considera- 
ble portion  of  the  time,  which  is  a  poor  reason  for  doing 
things  as  they  have  in  the  past.  Those  who  say  that  appe- 
tite should  absolutely  govern,  are  not  very  thoughtful, 
to  say  the  least." 

"Why  so?  Do  you  think  present  conditions  show  such 
grievous  effects?" 

"Not  the  effects  alone,  however  bad,  but  the  principle 
of  being  governed  by  appetite  is  not  in  harmony  with 
common  practice;  for  is  it  not  the  cook  who  decides  what 
food  we  shall  eat?'' 

"I  guess  you  are  right,  Doctor;  the  cook  may  not  pre- 
pare one  meal  a  week  to  suit  the  appetite  or  needs  of  a 
single  member  of  the  family." 

"That's  the  point;  most  people  have  little  or  no  choice 
in  the  selection  of  their  diet;  they  must  eat  what  is  fur- 
nished, and   that  is  often  incompatible;  hence,  the  system 

22.5 


226  HUMAN  BEINGS  NO  INSTINCT 

is  not  nourished,  and  an  excessive  amount  of  food  must 
be  consumed  to  supply  some  necessary  ingredients.  Tt 
is  foolish  to  talk  about  instinct  guiding  a  human  being. 
If  such  were  possible,  it  would  be  the  least  perverted,  and 
therefore  a  safe  guide  in  the  care  of  infants.  Now,  a 
child  will  go  into  the  fire,  or  ofT  of  a  precipice,  or  swallow 
pins,  coins,  buttons,  and  ®ften  kill  themselves  eating  pop- 
corn, raisins  and  other  foods;  while  an  animal,  governed 
by  instinct,  will  not  do  such  things.  Here  is  another 
very  striking  illustration  of  both  ignorance  and  lack  of 
instinct.  Young  infants  often  have  indigestion  from  nurs- 
ing too  frequently.  This  gives  them  the  colic,  so-called, 
and  their  discomfort  makes  them  fretful." 

"Well,  what  of  that?" 

"The  baby  cries,  and  the  mother  hastens  to  nurse  it. 
Now,  it  is  already  suffering  because  it  has  nursed  too 
often,  but  the  child  has  no  instinct  and  the  mother  no 
knowledge  to  prevent  the  repetition  of  the  injury." 

"Your  statement  seems  reasonable.  Doctor;  for  almost 
every  one  knows  that  a  grown  person  cannot  stand  con- 
tinual feeding,  and  it  does  not  seem  rational  to  conclude 
that  a  young  babe  could  do  it." 

"No;  the  injurious  effects  of  continual  feeding  have 
been  so  often  proven  by  every  good  physician,  it  must  be 
accepted  as  a  fact." 

"Doctor,  how  often  should  a  baby  nurse?" 

"During  the  first  three  days  after  birth,  four  or  five 
times  a  day.  One  or  two  teaspoonfuls  of  water  may  be 
given  occasionaly,  but  no  other  food.  After  the  first  few 
days  the  child  may  be  allowed  to  nurse  every  two  or  three 
hours,  between  5  a.  m.  and  11  p.  m.,  and  once  during  the 
night,  until  five  or  six  months  old." 

"Should  the  child  be  fed  at  regular  intervals?" 

"Yes;  it  is  of  greatest  importance.     The  hours  for  feed- 


INFANT  FEEDING  227 

ing  should  even  be  more  regular  than  that  of  a  grown  per- 
son." 

"Doctor,  would  it  not  be  a  good  idea  to  give  a  table, 
showing  how  children  should  be  fed  at  different  ages?" 

"Perhaps  so;  the  best  authorities  give  the  following  as 
a  guide  to  hours  and  quantity  of  food  required  for  a 
child  up  to  one  year  of  age: 


Age  of 
Child. 

1  week 

How  often  fed 
or  nursed. 

2  hours 

Number  of 

times  fed 

during  night. 

2 

Amount  of 

each 

feeding. 

1   OZ. 

Daily 
total. 

10  OZ. 

Daily 
number  of 
feedings. 

10 

1  weeks 

2          " 

2 

Uto3 

15  to  16 

8  to  10 

1  month 

2^     '' 

1 

2ito3 

20  to  24 

9  to  10 

2     " 

i\    " 

1 

4  OZ. 

28  OZ. 

7 

3     " 

2h     - 

1 

4oz. 

28  OZ. 

/ 

4     '• 

3       - 

5oz. 

30  OZ. 

6 

5     " 

3       " 

3ioz. 

33  OZ. 

6 

6     " 

3       - 

6  OZ. 

36  OZ. 

6 

9     " 

3       " 

7i  OZ. 

37i  OZ. 

5 

12  " 

3       " 

8  OZ. 

40  OZ. 

5 

Of  course  the  size  and  vigor  of  the  child  make  it  neces- 
sary to  vary  the  quantity  accordingly." 

"Will  there  not  be  a  tendency  to  fretfulness  between  the 
periods  of  nursing?" 

"There  should  not  be,  although  babies  frequently  get 
dry  and  cry  for  water.  If  a  child  is  fretful  and  there  is 
no  reason  why  it  should  be  hungry,  it  should  be  given 
water  with  a  teaspoon." 

"How  soon  can  the  night  nursing  be  discontinued?" 

"After  a  child  is  six  months  old  it  may  be  nursed  at 
bed  time,  say  ten  o'clock,  and  early  in  the  morning,  be- 
fore seven.     After  it  is  a  year  old,  it  need  not  be  fed  later 


228  ARTIFICIAL  FEEDING 

than  seven  or  eight  in  the  evening  and  at  its  usual  hour 
of  awaking  in  the  morning." 

"Will  babies  readily  accept  this  arrangement?" 

"Not  always.  They  may  want  to  nurse  every  fifteen 
minutes;  but  the  mother  should  be  guided  by  reason  in 
feeding,  just  as  she  would  in  keeping  her  babe  out  of  the 
fire  if  it  should  have  an  impulse  to  go  into  it." 

"Suppose  the  child  doesn't  thrive,  what  then?" 

"Of  course  no  arrangement  of  feeding  can  supply  the 
place  of  wholesome  milk,  and  it  often  happens  that  tlie 
mother  is  incapable  of  doing  this.  In  such  cases  the  next 
best  thing  is  cow's  milk." 

"That  would  seem  to  be  very  poor,  considering  the 
number  of  deaths  attributed  to  it." 

"Artificial  feeding  has  always  been  the  greatest  source 
of  infant  mortality,  and  great  care  should  always  be  exer- 
cised in  the  preparation  of  milk  for  infants.  Cow's  milk 
differs  greatly  from  human  milk." 

"Yes;  I  remember  that  you  said  it  contained  nmch 
more  casein,  or  curd,  and  much  less  milk  sugar." 

"So  I  did;  and  it  is  therefore  much  more  difficult  to 
digest,  and  should  be  modified  for  infant  feeding." 

"What  do  you  mean  by  modified?" 

"It  must  be  diluted  to  make  the  curd  smaller,  and  en- 
riched by  cream  and  sugar." 

"What  is  the  best  method  of  doing  this?" 

"It  should  receive  about  twice  as  much  water  as  the 
quantity  of  milk,  so  that  one  pint  of  milk  makes  three 
after  being  diluted.  This  may  be  done  in  several  ways. 
If  the  cRild's  digestion  Be  good,  pure  water  may  be  all 
that  is  required;  but  if  not,  and  the  child  is  sick  or  cross, 
some  other  method  must  be  resorted  to.  The  most  com- 
mon diluent  is  barley  water.  For  this,  take  pearl  barley 
(or  rice)  and  pound  or  grind  to  a  fine  flour;  add  two  ta- 


MODIFYING  MILK  229 

blespoonfuls  of  the  flour  to  each  quart  of  cold  water  and 
boil  for  an  hour,  and  then  strain  through  clean,  fine  linen 
or  a  colander.  Keep  in  cool  place.  In  case  of  diarrhoea, 
lime  water  will  be  most  useful.  Take  a  lump  of  unslaked 
lime,  half  the  size  of  an  egg,  and  pour  two  quarts  of  hot 
water  on  it,  and  let  it  stand  until  clear;  then  pour  ofif  the 
clear  liquid  for  use.  Do  not  use  any  part  of  the  sediment. 
For  ordinary  use  10  grains  of  bicarbonate  of  soda  (com- 
mon baking  soda)  to  each  pint  of  water,  will  make  a  bet- 
ter alkaline  water  than  the  lime.  This  should  be  used 
in  constipation.  If  neither  of  these  methods  should  prove 
satisfactory,  refined  gelatine,  such  as  the  Keystone  (made 
by  the  IMichigan  Carbon  Co.)  may  be  soaked  in  twice  its 
bulk  of  cold  water  until  soft,  and  then  boiled  and 
strained.  As  gelatine  is  a  good  and  easily  digested  food, 
a  considerable  quantity  may  be  added  to  the  water,  to  be 
used  for  diluting  the  milk." 

"Which  of  these  diluents  is  preferable?" 

"The  barley  water  or  gelatine,  the  bicarbonate  of  soda 
for  sour  stomach,  and  the  lime  water  in  case  of  diar- 
rhoea; but  neither  lime  water  nor  soda  should  be  used 
continuously." 

"These  diluents  are  for  breaking  up  the  curds.  How 
do  you  make  the  milk  richer?" 

"That  is  done  by  adding  cream  and  sugar.  Some- 
times half  cream  and  half  milk  are  used,  but  it  is  better  to 
take  the  top  milk ;  that  is,  after  the  milk  has  stood  some 
six  hours  the  cream  and  milk  of  the  upper  half  of  the  can 
or  jar  is  skimmed  ofif  for  use.  To  each  half-pint  of  top 
milk  two  and  a  half  to  three  heaping  teaspoonfuls  of  or- 
dinary sugar  should  be  added." 

"How  would  you  mix  the  ingredients  for  a  child  two 
months  old?" 


230  AMLK  INFECTION 

"A  child  two  months  old  would  require,  say,  twenty- 
four  ounces  each  day.  prepared  as  follows: 

Top  milk 8  ounces. 

Barley  water   .  . .  .  KJ  ounces. 

Sugar   4  heaping  teaspoonfuls. 

If  gelatine  water,  lime  water  or  soda  water  be  used  instead 
of  barley  water,  it  will  require  the  same  amount." 

"Will  children  thrive  better  on  this  mixture  than  pure 
milk?" 

"\'ery  much.  Milk,  without  dilution,  is  too  rich  for 
many  babes.  They  cannot  digest  it,  and  are  not  nour- 
ished, but  get  diarrhoea  and  die.  Many  a  young  babe 
has  been  carried  to  the  grave,  because  its  mother  did  not 
know  of  this  way  of  modifying  milk." 

"What  is  the  next  most  important  thing  to  know?" 

"That  the  milk  has  not  been  poisoned  by  disease-breed- 
ing germs." 

"I  don't  see  how  we  are  to  know  this." 

"If  people  do  not  keep  their  own  cows,  so  that  they 
know  that  they  are  clean  and  healthy,  and  do  not  know 
that  the  water  used  in  washing  the  milk  vessels  Is  not  con- 
taminated by  barnyards  or  privies,  or  if  so,  that  it  has 
been  boiled  before  using  on  milk  vessels,  it  is  not  safe 
to  use  milk  unless  pasteurized  or  sterilized." 

"How  about  cellars  with  decaying  vegetables?" 

"\\'ell,  milk  must  be.  kept  in  an  atmosphere  that  is 
sweet :  if  this  cannot  be  done,  it  must  be  put  in  sealed  or 
air-tight  jars." 

"I  have  often  heard  that  milk  is  a  great  absorbent  of 
poisons  from  the  atmosphere." 

"That  is  true:  for  there  is  no  other  animal  food  which 
so  quickly  decays  as  milk,  or  which  so  readily  absorbs 
poison  from  the  atmosphere,  so  that  the  greatest  care  is 
needed  to  prevent  its  contamination.  Milk  is  an  ideal 
food  for  infants  and  children,  but  if  not  kept  from  infec- 


QUANTITY  AT  EACH  FEEDING  2.U 

tion,  it  becomes  a  source  of  virulent  sickness  and  deatli. 
This  fact  makes  it  incumbent  upon  us  to  use  the  utmost 
care  to  protect  milk  from  all  unclean  or  contaminating; 
tntluerces,  and  it  must  never  be  allowed  to  stand  in  open 
vessels,  where  there  is  foul  air,  and  especially  in  the  sick 
chamber.  It  is  even  objectionable  to  have  milk  stand 
in  open  vessels  in  sitting  rooms,  kitchen.s  or  pantries.'' 

"Suppose  there  is  doubt  about  the  quality  of  the  milk?" 

"There  may  be  doubt  if  }ou  keep  your  own  cow,  and 
there  certainly  will  be  if  milk  is  purchased  from  dairymen. 
In  such  cases,  it  will  be  much  better  to  buy  pasteurized 
milk  in  bottles,  which  should  be  kept  tightly  corked.  If 
this  cannot  be  done,  the  milk  should  be  strained  and  pas- 
teurized in  bottles  or  fruit  jars  that  are  fitted  \vith  air- 
tight lids;  the  latter  are  preferable,  because  easier  cleaned. 
(I^or  method,  see  ']\Iilk.')" 

"Doctor,  I  have  heard  that  it  is  better  to  feed  a  child 
with  milk  from  only  one  cow." 

"Yes,  many  writers  have  advocated  this;  but  it  is  more 
reasonable  to  suppose  that  the  milk  from  a  herd  of  cows 
would  have  a  more  uniform  daily  average  than  that  of 
any  one  cow." 

"Should  the  milk  be  warmed  before  giving  to  the 
child?" 

"Certainly.  Enough  should  be  poured  out  of  the  sup- 
ply jar  for  one  feeding  and  the  bottle  set  in  warm  water 
(not  .hot  enough  to  scald  the  hand),  and  left  until  the  milk 
is  as  warm  as  fresh  milk.' 

"How  much  should  be  given  at  each  feeding?" 

"That  depends  on  the  age  of  the  child;  you  will  see 
from  the  table  I  gave  you  that  at  first  a  baby  takes  only 
an  ounce  of  milk  at  a  feeding,  but  w^hen  a  year  old,  eight 
or  nine  ounces  at  a  time.  One  thing  is  of  greatest  im- 
portance, and  that  is,  not  to  put  more  milk  into  the  nurs- 


232  FEEDING  BABIES 

ing  bottle  than  the  child  should  have  at  one  feeding,  ac- 
cording to  age  and  amount  given  in  the  table." 

"Why  is  this?" 

"It  prevents  over-feeding,  and  you  know  exactly  what 
the  child  is  getting.  If  there  be  indigestion,  the  amount 
should  be  at  least  temporarily  reduced;  and  if  extra 
hearty,  slightly  increased.  There  must  be  uniformity,  both 
in  amount  and  as  to  time." 

"This  can't  be  done  when  the  mother  nurses  her  babe?" 

"Yes,  it  can ;  the  child  should  not  be  permitted  to  nurse 
longer  than  fifteen  of  twenty  minutes.  Some  foolish 
mothers  are  disposed  to  give  their  babies  everything  they 
want,  as  though  their  opinions  were  w^orth  more  than  the 
most  learned  men,  who  have  cared  for  thousands  of  chil- 
dren, both  in  hospitals  and  private  practice.  The  safe 
side  is  on  that  of  short  allowance;  this  will  not  likely  do 
any  hami — extra  allowance  probably  will." 

"If  one  lived  in  a  city  and  found  it  dif^cult  to  get  any 
milk  except  what  is  partly  skimmed,  what  should  be 
done?" 

"Some  sweet  cream  should  be  purchased  and  mixed 
with  the  milk — say  one  part  cream  to  two  parts  of  milk. 
This  should  then  be  diluted  with  barley  or  gelatine  water, 
freshly  made,  put  in  a  bottle  or  fruit  jar,  then  pasteurized 
and  set  in  a  cooi  place.  The  amount  necessary  for  each 
day  should  be  prepared  in  this  way." 

"What  is  the  best  way  to  feed  babies  with  milk?" 

"The  nursing  bottle  is  generally  used,  and  it  is  one  of 
the  most  objectionable  things  connected  with  hand-feed- 
ing." 

"For  what  reason?" 

"From  the  fact  that  bottles  are  hard  to  clean,  and  be- 
cause people  persist  in  using  rubber  tubing.     This  can 


NURSING  BOTTLES  233 

hardly  be  cleaned,  and  is,  therefore,  a  breeding-honse  for 
bacteria." 

"Then  it  is  better  not  to  use  any  tubing  at  all?" 

"Well,  no  mother  can  afford  to  have  disease-breeding 
tubing  attached  to  the  nursing  bottle  if  she  wants  her  babe 
to  live.  The  bottle  should  hold  about  a  han-pnit,  should 
have  a  sloping  neck  and  oval  bottom,  that  it  may  be  easily 
cleaned  with  a  brush  or  sterilized  cotton.  The  nipple 
should  be  attached  direct  to  the  neck  of  the  bottle  and  be 
so  constructed  that  it  can  be  turned  inside  out  and  thor- 
oughly cleaned.  The  bottles  should  be  washed  in  borax 
water  and  then  boiled." 

"Some  people  will  say  that  all  these  precautions  are  a 
good  deal  of  trouble." 

"That  is  true;  but  not  half  as  much  as  a  sick  baby. 
Those  who  would  rather  have  their  babies  in  the  ceme- 
tery need  not  take  the  trouble." 

"Will  the  method  of  feeding  you  have  outlined  insure 
healthy  children?" 

"As  a  general  rule  it  will,  but  not  always,  and  when 
milk  disagrees,  other  methods  are  resorted  to.  It  some- 
times happens  that  the  prepared  foods  will  agree  with  a 
child  when  milk  will  not." 

"Are  the  prepared  infant  foods  made  of  milk?" 

"Well,  there  are  milk  preparations,  such  as  Horlick's 
malted  milk,  but  most  of  the  prepared  foods  are  made  of 
starch,  dextrinized,  or  partly  digested,  by  diastase,  or  other 
methods.  They  sometimes  serve  a  good  purpose,  but 
even  though  they  make  a  child  fat,  they  are  seldom 
healthy." 

"In  the  event  that  milk  disagrees,  what  is  to  be  done?" 

"That  may  happen  because  the  child  gets  too  much  or 
too  rich  milk.  In  such  cases,  a  less  quantity  should  be 
given,  or  the  milk  may  be  reduced  by  adding  a  little  more 


234  BROTHS      CEREAL  FOODS 

water,  and  not  so  much  sugar.  If  the  child  is  not  sick, 
but  does  not  thrive,  the  milk  may  not  be  rich  enough. 
It  must  be  remembered  that  infants  do  not  all  require 
foods  of  equal  richness  or  the  same  ingredients,  and  that 
milk  varies  much,  depending  on  the  breed  and  the  feed 
of  the  cows.  In  the  Summer,  milk  is  richer  in  dry  weather 
than  in  wet,  because  the  grass  is  drier  and  richer." 

"Is  it  advisable  to  give  meat  broths  or  other  foods  to 
young  children?" 

"Yes;  broths  made  of  >can  beef,  cliicken  or  veal,  may 
be  used  instead  of  milk,  for  short  periods,  when  there  is 
indigestion  or  diarrhoea.  They  should  be  made  by  macer- 
ating chopped  lean  meat  in  cold  water  and  then  pressed. 
The  juice  should  be  warmed,  but  not  boiled.  Cold  water 
absorbs  much  more  of  the  nutritious  part  of  meat  than 
hot.  Broths  made  with  hot  water  are  not  nourishing. 
Some  children  thrive  on  cream  gruel." 
"How  is  it  made?" 

"Take  rolled  oats  and  add  three  and  a  half  times  its 
bulk  of  cold  water.  Boil  an  hour  and  a  half,  or  until  it 
is  dissolved  to  a  pulp.  Strain  through  a  fine  colander 
(sieve)  while  hot  (the  strained  portion  should  be  about  the 
consistency  of  jelly  when  cold). 

"To  the  strained  oatmeal  add  an  equal  part  of  sweet 
cream  and  one  or  two  teaspoonfuls  of  sugar;  then  add 
three  to  four  times  the  bulk  of  both  oatmeal  and  cream 
of  boiling  water.  This  should  be  an  admirable  food  for 
children  eight  or  ten  months  old,  although  children  five 
months  old  have  done  as  well  as  they  could  possibly  have 
done  on  any  food." 

"Why  is  it  objectionable  for  children  under  eight 
months?" 

"It  is  claimed  that  young  babies  do  not  digest  starch, 
and  some  eminent  authorities  sav  thev  should  not  have 


WEANING  235 

Starch  before  they  arc  ten  months  old;  others  equally 
g€Oi\,  say  that  the  ability  to  digest  starch  commences  to 
develop  when  the  child  commences  to  grow  and  increases 
so  that  it  is  permissible  to  give  starchy  food  at  six  or 
eight  months  of  age.  For  very  young  infants  the  cream 
gruel  should  have  malt,  or  diastase  to  digest  the  starch 
before  feeding." 

"About  what  age  should  children  be  weaned?'' 

"It  is  always  advisable  for  them  to  nurse  through  the 
second  summer,  if  the  mother's  health  permits  it,  although 
it  is  sometimes  necessary  to  wean  children  very  young. 
At  any  rate,  the  weaning  should  not  be  begun  during  the 
hot  season,  if  it  can  be  avoided,  nor  under  a  year,  or  over 
eighteen  months  old." 

"Should  the  nursing  be  suddenly  stopped?" 

"No;  they  should  be  fed  cow's  milk,  modified  as  di- 
rected. It  would  be  better  to  try  two  parts  water  to  one 
of  top  milk  in  the  beginning  of  the  weaning  period.  As 
the  child  grows,  the  water  may  be  reduced  to  one  part,  in- 
stead of  two.  The  milk-feeding  should  take  the  place  of 
the  mother's  nursing  at  same  regular  intervals,  and  the 
nursings  should  be  dropped  gradually,  and  the  weaning 
cover  a  period  of  two  months." 

"Should  children  ever  be  bottle-fed  and  nursed  during 
the  same  period?" 

"Whenever  a  child  does  not  thrive,  bottle-feeding 
should  be  tried  for  some  of  the  feedings  instead  of  nurs- 
ing." 

"When  may  a  child  be  given  foods  other  than  milk  or 
gruel  ?" 

"Strained  meat  broths  may  be  given  at  almost  any  age, 
and  next  to  it  is  soft-boiled  eggs,  or  eggs  stirred  into 
hot,  but  not  boiling,  gelatine  water.  A  child  cannot  mas- 
ticate solid  food  until  it  has  teeth,  and  milk,  with  sugar, 


236  AFTER  WEANING 

beef  or  chicken  broths,  soft  eggs,  bread  and  milk,  and 
cereal  or  starch  gruels  must  form  the  essential  part  of 
every  child's  diet,  until  it  has  teeth.  The  practice  of  giv- 
ing young  children  solid  foods  like  meats,  raw  vegetables, 
raisins  and  like  substances,  has  been  the  instrument  of 
death  for  thousands." 

"Are  fruits  not  permissible?" 

"Sour  fruit  juices  are  not  permissible  with  milk;  but 

fruits,  like  apples  or  peaches,  when  cooked  and  free  from 

solid  substances,  may  be  given  children  over  a  year  old." 

"How  many  meals  a  day  should  a  child  receive  when  it 

commences  to  eat  such  foods  as  you  have  named?" 

"From  four  to  five  meals  a  day  during  a  child's  second 
year." 

"Should  children  be  given  tea  or  coffee?" 
"Young  children  must  not  be  given  tea,  cofTee,  beef, 
liquors,  or  fermented  drinks  of  any  kind." 

"What  foods  may  be  given  children  over  two  years 
old?" 

"I  will  first  speak  of  some  of  the  foods  not  to  be  given 
them.  The  worst  abused  children  are  those  who  are  in- 
dulged by  their  parents  to  such  an  extent  as  to  be  al- 
lowed to  eat  everything  they  see.  They  must  be  kept 
out  of  the  pantry:  for  nothing  could  be  worse  than  per- 
mitting them  cakes,  sugar,  pastry,  green  fruits,  or  anything 
else  they  may  happen  to  want.  Besides  the  objection  to 
such  articles,  they  are  frequently  allowed  to  eat  them  at 
all  hours  of  the  day,  and  if  life  were  not  so  exceedingly 
hard  to  destroy,  the  mortality  rate  of  children  would  de- 
populate the  country.  Parents  are  disposed  to  be  particu- 
lar about  almost  everything  for  their  children  except  their 
diet,  and  in  this  they  are  less  restricted  than  grown  people, 
although  they  are  in  greater  need  of  it." 

"This  is  not  very  definite  about  what  they  should  eat." 


PROHIBITED  FOODS  237 

"But  I  have  only  discussed  preliminaries,  and  I  am  go- 
ing to  strike  out  their  ordinary  diet  at  one  blow,  by  throw- 
ing out  the  frying-pan  and  all  fried  food;  nor  will  I  stop 
here;  pickles  for  children  are  instruments  of  death,  but 
are  not  worse  than  sourkraut,  and  not  much  worse  than 
griddle   or  pan-cakes,  salads  and  raw  vegetables." 

"Which  of  the  fried  foods  are  the  worst?" 

"Fried  eggs  and  fried  salt  pork,  ham  or  snoulder." 

"Doctor,  your  attack  on  the  ordinary  way  of  feeding 
children  is  rather  sharp,  and  your  list  of  prohibited  foods 
rather  sweeping." 

"That  may  be,  but  there  are  still  more;  pepper,  mustard 
and  all  condiments,  except  a  small  amount  of  salt,  must 
go ;  together  with  cheese,  bananas,  cherries,  grapes  (unless 
skins  and  seeds  are  removed),  blackberries  and  raspber- 
ries, except  the  juice,  gooseberries,  cranberries,  currants, 
stringy  vegetables,  unless  chopped  fine,  canned  fish,  hot, 
doughy  biscuits  or  bread,  cakes,  pies,  doughnuts,  nuts, 
unless  ground,  popcorn,  raisins  for  children  under  eight 
years  old,  the  skin  of  fowls,  green  or  over-ripe  fruits,  to- 
matoes, muffins,  fritters,  salt  fish,  peas  and  beans,  unless 
ground  or  thoroughly  cooked  and  passed  tin  ough  a  sieve, 
green,  dried,  or  canned  corn,  new  potatoes,  ice  water  and 
ice  cream,  except  in  small  quantity,  when  slow  eating  can 
be  enforced." 

"Doctor,  your  lists  are  as  sweeping  as  a  cyclone.  Are 
there  any  foods  except  milk  you  haven't  condemned?" 

"Plenty  of  them.  There  is  bread,  cracked  wheat  and 
wheat  foods,  corn  preparations  other  than  green,  dried, 
and  canned  corn,  rice,  oatmeal,  barley,  rye,  meats  in  small 
quantities,  boiled  or  roasted,  eggs,  raw  or  slightly  cooked, 
fruits,  except  as  prohibited  in  the  list  given,  fresh  fish, 
cooked  vegetables,  when  strings  are  cut  very  short,  baked 
or  mashed  potatoes,  arrow  root,  tapioca,  sago,  and  gela- 


^38  DIET  FOR  CHILDREN 

tine.     Wheat,  oat  and  corn  mushes  should  be  strained  for 
children  under  five  years  old." 

"What  ought  to  be  the  staple  diet  for  children?" 

"Milk,  entire  wheat  bread,  oatmeal,  wheat  gluten,  grits, 
or  germ  meal,  fruits,  rice,  meat,  fresh  fish,  and  soft-cooked 
eggs.  In  all  food  preparations  or  mixtures,  it  must  be 
kept  constantly  in  mind  that  all  the  starchy  foods  require 
much  cooking,  while  meats  and  eggs  but  little;  also  an 
excess  of  fat  and  sweets  must  be  avoided.  As  an  exam- 
ple, if  eggs  are  used  in  rice  pudding,  they  must  be  added 
after  the  rice  is  cooked,  for  there  will  be  enough  heat  in 
the  rice  to  cook  the  eggs." 

"Should  the  diet  of  growing  children  dififer  materially 
from  that  of  older  persons?" 

"It  should  contain  more  tissue-forming  food  and  more 
mineral  matter.  These  elements  are  found  principally  in 
milk,  wheat,  oats,  meats  and  eggs.  The  first  three  in 
some  form  or  other  should  compose  the  main  part  of 
their  diet.  Growing  children  who  do  not  have  foods  con- 
taining lime,  will  do  better  on  hard  water  than  on  soft,  as 
the  former  furnishes  lime  necessary  for  the  bones." 

"Doctor,  can  you  give  a  model  diet  for  different  ages 
of  children?" 

"It  is  easy  to  indicate  suitable  food,  but  very  difficult 
to  be  definite  as  to  quantities,  because  there  are  so  many 
modifying  circumstances.  One  child  may  be  as  large  and 
active  at  three  years  of  age  as  another  at  five ;  then  tem- 
perature, clothing,  exercise  and  growth  are  all  elements 
of  food  requirements.  Probably  as  near  an  estimate  as  to 
quantity  of  food  needed  for  an  adult  is  about  one  ounce  of 
food  as  ordinarily  eaten,  or  half  an  ounce  of  dry  food,  to 
each  three  pounds  of  weight  of  the  individual,  but  for  fat 
people,  or  the  sedentary,  this  would  be  much  too  high 
for  a  daily  average.     Now,  as  I  have  already  stated,  chil- 


INFANT  FEEDING,  FIRST  PERIOD  239 

dren  require  a  hig^hcr  per  cent,  of  nitrog-en,  because,  in 
addition  to  the  ordinary  waste  of  tissue,  they  must  have 
something  for  growth;  but  as  the  average  growth  does 
not  exceed  one-third  of  an  ounce  per  day,  which  is 
seventy  per  cent,  water,  it  will  be  seen  that  the  need  for 
growth  has  been  greatly  exaggerated  by  many  writers. 
A  child  a  year  old  will  consume  forty  ounces  of  milk,  con- 
taining five  ounces  of  solid  food,  while  the  average  growtli 
of  a  child  per  day  will  not  exceed  a  tenth  of  an  ounce  of 
solid  matter." 

"How  would  that  compare  with  the  standard  diet  ot 
groW'U  people?"' 

"The  diet  for  grown  people,  weighing  seven  or  eight 
times  as  much  as  a  child  one  year  old,  would  contain 
about  four  times  as  much  protein  as  the  diet  of  an  infant 
one  year  old.'' 

"Doctor,  how  would  you  divide  the  different  periods  of 
a  child's  life,  for  the  purpose  of  arranging  dietaries?" 

"The  first  period  is  from  birth  up  to  eight  or  ten  months 
of  age.  During  this  period  modified  milk  is  next  best  to 
that  of  the  mother's.  When  these  fail,  pre-digested  starch 
preparations,  sold  as  prepared  foods,  such  as  Imperial 
Granum,  should  be  tried.  Some  children  do  better  on 
them  than  milk,  and  some  give  them  with  milk  to  great 
advantage.  Part  of  a  beaten  egg  may  be  given  for  tem- 
porary use." 

"Then  when  a  child  is  eight  or  ten  months  old,  it  may 
be  fed  some  starch?" 

"Yes;  white  bread,  crackers,  arrow  root  and  sago  may 
be  added  to  the  milk  given  the  child.  If  bread  be  used,  it 
must  be  good  bread,  well  baked  and  dissolved  in  milk 
or  hot  water,  and  given  in  small  quantities.  Wheat,  oats, 
and  rice  preparations,  when  boiled  to  a  pulp  and  strained 


240  FEEDING,  SECOND  PERIOD 

through  a  very  fine  sieve,  are  very  useful  additions  to 
milk." 

"When  may  other  foods  be  given?" 

''It  must  be  kept  in  mind  that  a  child  must  not  have 
solid  food  until  it  has  teeth,  although  other  soft  food,  such 
as  mashed  potatoes,  baked  or  stewed,  sweet  or  sub-acid 
apples,  free  from  peel,  seeds  and  core,  may  be  given." 

"May  other  fruits  be  used?" 

"They  must  be  used  with  great  care;  all  very  sour  and 
astringent  fruits  must  be  avoided.  In  constipation, 
slightly  acid  fruit  juices,  when  strained,  may  be  given  two 
or  three  hours  after  meals,  and  one  hour  before." 

"When  may  other  annual  foods  be  added?" 

"Soft-boiled  or  poached  eggs  may  be  given  children 
in  their  second  year,  and  in  some  cases  the  first.  It  would 
be  well  to  give  only  one  or  two  teaspoonfuls  at  first,  and 
never  more  than  one  egg  at  a  meal  until  a  child  is  four 
years  old.  The  practice  of  permitting  children  to  eat  two 
or  three  hard-fried  eggs  is  most  reprehensible  and  danger- 
ous to  the  child." 

"When  may  solid  food  be  allowed?" 

"A  child  should  have  a  good  number  of  teeth  at  two 
and  a  half  years  of  age,  and  this  may  be  said  to  be  about 
the  beginning  of  the  third  period." 

"Are  no  meats  to  be  allowed  before  a  ckild  is  two  and 
a  half  years  old?" 

"Meats  are  given  after  eighteen  months  of  age.  but  they 
must  be  scraped,  ground  or  in  some  way  reduced  to  a 
pulp  or  powder." 

■  "After  a  child  has  teeth,  I  suppose  it  mav  be  given  a  drv 
diet?" 

"Only  to  a  limited  extent.  The  diet  should  still  con- 
tinue much  the  same,  except  that  the  bread  need  riot  be 
soaked,  nor  the  meat  powdered.     Cooked  garden  vegeta- 


CAUSES  OF  INFANT  MORTALITY  211 

bles  (one  variety  at  a  time),  chopped  crosswise  of  the  fibre, 
may  be  added  to  some  of  the  meals." 

"When  wonld  you  change  this  diet?" 

"Well,  there  should  be  no  radical  change  made  from 
this  diet,  except  an  increase  in  quantity,  and  some  relax- 
ation as  to  straining  foods,  when  a  child  reaches  five  or 
six  years  of  age." 

"When  would  you  allow  such  prohibited  foods  as  to- 
matoes and  bananas?" 

"They  might  be  tried  in  a  limited  way,  at  six  or  seven 
years  of  age;  baked  bananas  at  two  or  three." 

"Would  you  allow  the  use  of  fried  foods  at  this  age?" 

"No;  I  would  bar  the  frying-pan  for  all  ages." 

"Doctor,  you  seem  to  be  severe.  You  must  consider 
the  effects  of  bad  feeding  and  training  very  far-reaching 
in  their  effect." 

"The  fearful  infant  mortality  only  faintly  indicates  the 
direful  results  of  ignorance  on  this  subject.  Who  can 
measure  the  sorrow,  anxiety  and  care  expended  on  sick 
children,  that  could  easily  be  avoided?  Nor  is  this  all; 
they  are  allowed  to  grow  worse  than  maimed,  a  burden, 
to  themselves  and  often  a  care  on  their  friends  or  society. 
Why  is  there  not  some  anxiety  on  the  part  of  parents,  to 
give  their  children  freedom  from  pain  and  disease,  as  well 
as  riches?  Is  not  a  sound  body  more  conducive  to  hap- 
piness than  wealth?" 

"Then  you  think  if  children  were  properly  ushered  into 
manhood  and  womanhood,  and  taught  how  to  live,  most 
of  our  troubles  would  be  averted?" 

"Undoubtedly;  even  a  w^eak  child,  if  properly  fed  and 
trained,  may  be  developed  into  good,  healthy  manhood  or 
womanhood,  and  their  growing  period  is  the  time  to  cor- 
rect their  defects." 


242  CHILDREN'S  DIETARIES 

From  12  to  18  Months  Old. 

"Doctor,  will  you  arrange  dietaries  for  children  from 
the  age  of  one  year  to  maturity?" 

''I  have  already  done  so,  and  will  read  it  to  you:" 

"A  child  12  months  old  should  be  fed  at  about  7  and 
1,0:30  a.  m.;  2:30,  G  and  10  p.  m.  If  the  child  is  not 
weaned,  it  will  probably  be  advisable  to  allow  it  to  nurse 
the  first,  third  and  last  meal,  and  fed  the  second  and  fourth. 
When  the  nursing  is  reduced  to  twice  a  day,  it  will  be 
best  to  nurse  the  second  and  last  meals,  and  finally  feed- 
ing may  be  substituted  for  these,  as  weaning  progresses. 
A  child  a  year  old,  will  require  forty  ounces  of  modified 
milk,  one-third  of  which  is  milk  and  cream — 'top  milk.' 
A  child  a  year  and  a  hall  old  will  require  a  pint,  to  a  pint 
and  a  quarter  of  top  milk,  and  two  or  three  ounces,  when 
strained,  of  well-cooked  starch,  either  rice,  barley,  flour, 
arrowroot,  sago  or  oatmeal,  four  or  five  teaspoonfuls  of 
sugar,  and  a  pint  and  a  half  of  water,  for  the  five  daily 
feedings.  Meat  broths,  egg  or  prepared  foods,  may  be 
substituted  if  they  agree  with  the  child  better  than  milk 
and  starch." 

"In  following  this  outline  for  feeding,  what  would  be 
the  most  probable  error?" 

"Giving  an  excessive  quantity  of  food  and  too  little  fat 
— the  result  of  poor  milk  " 

Dietaries — 1|  to  2|  Years  of  Age. 

Milk,  cereal  gruels  and  mushes,  sago,  arrowroot,  tapi- 
oca, eggs,  bread  and  milk  or  broths,  scraped  meat  in 
small  quantities,  meat  broths,  rice,  milk  or  gelatine  or 
starch  pudding,  stewed  fruits  that  do  not  require  sugar, 
such  as  apples  and  prunes,  without  skins. 
2|  to  6  Years. 

To  above  add:  Meat,  powdered  or  scraped,  bread,  en- 
tire  wheat,   fish,  fruits,  according  to   directions,   cooked 


CHILDREN'S  DIETARIES  243 

garden  vegetables — except  tomatoes,  cucumbers  and  pep- 
pers— wheat  gluten,  mashed  potatoes,  baked  potatoes. 
()  to  10  or  11  Years. 
Additional  foods:  Tomatoes,  bananas  (occasionally), 
raisins,  oysters.  Straining  will  not  be  necessary  for 
cereals,  but  for  legumes,  peas,  beans  and  lentils,  ground 
or  cooked  until  they  are  of  consistency  of  puree,  powdered 
nuts." 


CHAPTER  XXI. 
DIET  IN  PUBERTY. 

"Doctor,  why  do  you  make  a  division  at  10  or  11  years 
of  age?" 

"The  dietary  from  G  to  11  was  intended  to  reach  to 
the  age  of  puberty." 

"Then  you  regard  puberty  as  a  critical  period?" 

"For  girls  it  is  extremely  so,  because  mistakes  at  this 
time  not  only  seriously  afifect  girlhood  and  womaniiood, 
but  it  also  curses  unborn  generations." 

"How  is  that?" 

"The  young  girl  of  to-day  will  soon  be  the  mothers  of 
another  generation,  and  what  affects  their  health  will  likely 
afTect  their  progeny." 

"What  connection  has  food  with  such  dreadful  results?" 

"There  can  be  no  growth  without  suitable  food;  for 
nourishment  is  a  vital  element  of  all  life.  Now,  when  a 
girl  reaches  puberty,  there  is  an  increased  physical  de- 
mand, for  two  reasons:  (1)  It  is  a  period  of  more  rapid 
growth,  or  at  least  it  should  be  so.  (2)  The  functional 
development  of  the  sexual  organs  causes  an  increased 
drain  on  the  system,  which,  if  not  met  by  suitable  nour- 
ishment, results  in  injury  well-nigh  immeasurable." 

"Is  that  the  reason  why  young  girls  are  so  often  anae- 
mic?" 

"It  is  the  principal  reason.  A  girl  cannot  grow  into 
healthy  womanhood  without  good  blood,  and  if  she  has 
it  not,  the  efifect  is  as  obvious  as  a  long  drouth  on  the 
summer  harvest." 

"Do  you  mean  to  say,  that  the  disorders  peculiar  to 


246  CAUSE  OF  WOMAN'S  ILLS 

women,  with  the  agony  they  have  to  endure,  are  mainly 
due  to  lack  of  care  during  puberty?" 

"They  are  largely  due  to  lack  of  intelligent  care  between 
the  ages  of  11  and  17.  Many  girls  receive  a  kind  of  well- 
meant  care,  that  is  worse  than  total  neglect.  They  are  the 
children  who  are  fed  dainties,  over-dressed,  restrained,  and 
in  winter  kept  in  rooms  ten  or  fifteen  degrees  too  hot;  but 
in  summer  are  dressed  in  the  thinest  fabrics,  no  matter 
how  cool  the  weather.  Woman's  physical  woes  can  be 
described  in  short  terms:  Idiotic_feeding,  and  maniacal 
folly  in  dress." 

"That  is  strong  language." 

"But  not  too  strong.  An  idiot  is  a  person  without  rea- 
son. When  we  do  things  without  reason,  things,  too,  that 
dumb  animals  will  not  do,  are  they  not  idiotic?  Now,  as 
the  conventional  dress  of  women  is  responsible  for  a  large 
per  cent,  of  their  ills,  what  less  can  we  call  it  than  mania?" 

"But  how  is  dress  related  to  feeding?" 

"In  this  way:  A  well-nourished  body,  to  a  great  ex- 
tent, protects  itself;  but  if  the  organs  of  the  body  are  dis- 
placed, or  the  circulation  interfered  with  by  tight  clothing, 
it  cannot -do  so." 

"Be  a  little  more  specific,  doctor.  Name  the  habits  that 
seem  to  you  the  most  injurious." 

"Eating  at  all  hours  of  the  day.  Eating  improper  food, 
such  as  pop-corn,  cake,  candy,  pickles,  green  and  over-ripe 
fruit,  fried  foods  and  doughy  bread,  saturated  with  butter 
or  gravy.  During  puberty,  girls'  appetites  seem  to  crave 
all  sorts  of  things,  because  they  see  others  eat  them; 
whereas,  the  demands  of  the  body  require  food  rich  in 
tissue-forming  substances,  and  not  very  difficult  to  digest. 
Eating  between  meals  is  one  of  the  most  pernicious  habits 
of  school  girls,  and  it  can't  be  cut  too  short.  Pampering 
children  with   all    sorts   of  pastry   and    highlyvseasoned 


PAMPERING  CHILDREN  247 

dishes,  destroys  the  taste  for  natural  food,  and  curses  them 
for  hie.  They  should  bo  fed  on  plaudy,  but  well  cooked 
cereals,  well-baked  bread,  from  entire  grain,  milk,  meal, 
eg-gs,  cooked  without  fat,  and  sound,  ripe  fruits.  A  lim- 
ited amount  of  sugar,  syrup  or  candy,  may  occasionally 
be  eaten  at  meal  time.  Pop-corn  and  nuts  are  wholesome 
when  finely  ground,  but  must  be  prohibited  as  ordinarily 
eaten.'' 

"Young  people  should  have  good  digestion,  why  so 
particular?" 

"Because  the  newly-developed  functions  of  sex  interfere 
with  digestion  for  about  five  days  before  and  after  stated 
periods,  so  that  nearly  a  half  a  month  is  taken  up  with  the 
excretion  of  waste  and  repair,  which  makes  them  ex- 
tremely sensitive  to  cold  and  liable  to  constipation,  both 
of  which  must  be  shunned  as  deadly  enemies.'' 

"Why  should  they  shun  constipation  more  than  other 
people?" 

"Well,  besides  the  importance  of  good  digestion  at  this 
period,  accumulation  of  fecal  matter  in  the  bowels,  dis- 
turbs the  circulation  in  the  delicate  organs  of  generation, 
and  may  cause  a  life  of  suffering." 

"Doctor,  you  seem  to  favor  both  freedom  and  restraint." 

"Yes,  a  girl  should  be  dressed  so  as  to  allow  the  great- 
est personal  activity,  and  mothers  should  remember  that 
a  daughter's  health  is  far  more  important  than  lady-like 
deportment.  As  an  example  of  anaemic  women,  there 
are  none  so  bad  as  the  French  of  the  upper  classes.  Re- 
straint, convent  life,  and  folly  in  dress,  make  the  French 
women  the  poorest,  physically,  that  exist  in  any  enlight- 
ened country." 

"How  would  you  overcome  the  disregard  for  warmth, 
nourishing  food,  regular  eating,  and  lack  of  exercise?" 

"By  teaching  girls  before  they  rich  puberty,  that  they 


248         PROPER  TRAINING,  PRE  NATAL  INFLUENCE 

are  to  become  women,  and  that  it  would  be  far  less  injuri- 
ous for  them  to  cut  off  an  arm  or  a  foot,  and  less  painful, 
too,  than  to  be  badly  developed  women  and  have  to  suffer 
all  their  lives." 

"How  about  diet  for  boys?" 

"If  fried  foods,  green  and  over-ripe  fruits,  and  an  ex- 
cess of  food,  be  kept  from  boys,  they  will  not  be  sick." 

"How  can  over-eating  be  prevented?" 

"By  taking  all  the  food  necessary  for  one  meal  on  the 
plate  or  dishes  at  one  time.  Boys  should  not  be  allowed 
to  repeatedly  help  themselves,  for  no  attention  is  paid  to 
the  great  quantities  of  food  eaten  in  this  way." 

"Doctor,  you  have  indicated  from  your  remarks  that 
you  were  a  strong  believer  in  pre-natal  influences,  and  I 
suppose  that  diet  and  the  mental  conditions  of  prospective 
mothers  are  very  impoitant  factors  in  shaping  the  char- 
acter of  unborn  children?" 

"Undoubtedly;  the  unborn  child  is  mainly  dependent 
upon  its  mother  for  its  physical  life,  and  to  a  great  extent 
its  mentality,  and  these,  in  turn,  must  have  proper  nour- 
ishment or  be  undeveloped." 

"Are  there  not  other  influences  which  affect  the  pre- 
natal life  of  the  child?" 

"Yes;  this  is  especially  true  of  dress.  A  well-known 
author,  when  asked  when  a  prospective  mother  should 
discard  the  corset,  very  pithily  answered,  'Two  hundred 
years  before  her  child  is  to  be  born;'  but  this  does  not  be- 
long to  foods." 

"No,  I  am  sorry ;  but  in  the  companion  volume  you 
can  sing  the  undying  dirge  of  the  waist-constrictor  and 
pain-producer  of  female  apparel.  But  what  are  the  faults 
of  the  mother's  diet  that  make  her  children  so  imperfect?" 

"The  unborn  child  receives  its  nourishment  direct  from 
its  mother's  blood,  necessitating  good  health  on  her  part." 


PRE  NATAL  EFFECT  OF  FRUIT  249 

"Is  there  any  particular  kind  of  food  required?" 

"There  is  a  theory  advocated  in  Tokology,  and  other 
books,  that  child-birth  is  made  easy  by  a  fruit  and  starch 
diet.  It  is  argued  that  acids  dissolve  mineral  matter  and 
prevent  the  bones  of  the  ur.born  child  becoming  solid,  and 
that  when  fruits  are  used  in  connection  with  foods  con- 
taining but  little  lime  and  other  mineral  substances,  the 
bones  of  the  child  at  birth  will  be  extremely  flexible,  and 
birth,  therefore,  very  easy." 

"You  don't  endorse  the  theory?" 

"No;  because  the  bones  of  all  children  at  birth  are  soft, 
and  when  they  are  deficient  in  lime,  the  child  will  be  in 
a  diseased  condition  called  rickets.  In  health,  nature  al- 
ways preserves  its  own  balance,  and  when  it  cannot  do 
this  we  have  disease." 

"Probably  the  good  effect  is  due  to  the  fruit  diet?" 

"That  is  it.  A  wrong  theory  did  not  spoil  the  good 
effects  of  the  diet  when  it  happened  to  be  particularly 
adapted  to  the  person  using  it." 

"Then  you  endorse  the  fruit  and  starch  diet,  but  not  the 
reason  given  for  it?'' 

"Not  entirely — it  is  a  good  thing  carried  too  far.  As 
already  explained,  fruit  is  an  internal  cleanser,  which  gives 
life  and  elasticity  to  the  tissues  of  the  body  and  prevents 
constipation  and  uric  acid  concretions,  and  it  is  these 
efifects  which  have  given  such  satisfactory  results  to  pros- 
pective mothers." 

"What  is  it  that  you  condemn?" 

"It  has  several  faults,  chief  of  which  is  the  indiscrim- 
inate use  of  fruit  acids  and  starches.  To  give  you  an 
example  of  the  efifect  of  acids  and  starch,  I  recently  emp- 
tied a  man's  stomach  eighteen  hours  after  eating  tapioca. 
Now,  tapioca  is  practically  ]nire  starch  and  easily  digested, 
but  in  this  particular  case  there  was  an  excessive  secretion 


250  ACIDS  AND  STARCHES 

of  acid,  and  the  tapioca  was  not  digested  in  eighteen 
hours,  but  the  particles  were  much  larger  than  when  swal- 
lowed. In  another  case,  I  found  undigested  and  un- 
changed grains  of  rice  five  hours  after  the  lady  had  eaten 
rice  and  two  oranges." 

"Might  that  not  have  occurred  with  meat?" 

"No;  I  have  emptied  stomachs  where  there  was  exces- 
sive acid  secretion  and  found  meat  digested  within  one 
hour  from  the  time  when  eaten." 

"Then  you  favor  a  meat  diet?" 

"Only  to  a  limited  extent.  I  favor  a  fruit  diet,  but  not 
such  incompatible  foods  at  the  same  meal  as  rice  and 
oranges  and  rhubarb  and  toast." 

"You  -must  know  of  some  ill  effects  to  unborn  chil- 
dren?" 

"Yes;  excessive  or  imprudent  use  of  fruits  derange  di- 
gestion and  bring  dyspeptic  and  crying  babies  into  the 
world." 

"Some  people  think  they  cannot  have  too  much  of  a 
good  thing." 

"I  am  not  one  of  them.  It  has  been  my  constant  study 
to  find  out  the  use  of  foods  from  a  practical  standj)oint, 
rather  than  follow  the  speculative  theories  of  either  scien- 
tists or  'faddists,'  and  my  original  investigation  makes  me 
an  enthusiast  in  the  use  of  fruit." 

"What  diet  would  you  advise  for  the  pre-natal  develop- 
ment of  the  child  and  the  health  and  comfort  of  the 
mother?" 

"The  welfare  of  the  unborn  child  and  its  mother  are  in- 
separable. Her  largest  meal  should  be  breakfast  and  her 
lightest  one  supper.  The  daily  diet  should  consist  largely 
of  fruits  and  cereals — wheat,  oats,  and  rice,  with  entire 
wheat  bread  for  the  staple  part  of  the  diet.  Broiled  or 
stewed  chicken,  baked  fish,  broiled,  boiled  or  roast  beef 


PRE  NATAL  DIETARIES  251 

or  lamb  may  be  eaten  for  one  meal,  breakfast  or  dinner, 
on  aliemate  days.  The  meat  must  be  powdered  by  grind- 
ing or  great  care  taken  in  its  mastication.  Fried  or  tough 
meat  must  be  wholly  excluded.  One  or  two  soft-cooked 
eggs  for  breakfast  or  dinner  may  be  eaten  on  alternate 
days,  when  meat  is  not  allowed.  The  general  rules  laid 
down  for  the  use  of  fruit  apply  to  all  conditions.  A  model 
dietary  would  be  something  like  the  following:" 
Pre-natal  Dietaries. 

Breakfast — For  tissue-forming  foods  use  one  or  two 
of  tjie  following,  according  to  taste  and  convenience: 
Eggs  soft-cooked  at  low  temperature. 

Fresh  beef,  mutton,  chicken,  venison,  quail,  pheasants, 
stewed  or  roasted — no  canned  or  salt  meats — fresh  fish, 
boiled  or  baked,  oysters  (fish  and  shell-fish  are  so  often 
contaminated  that  they  are  more  or  less  dangerous),  peas 
and  beans  ground  and  thoroughly  cooked,  or  boiled  and 
passed  through  a  colander,  powdered  nuts  or  nut  foods, 
wheat  gluten,  milk  when  not  used  with  sour  fruits,  so  as 
to  form  large  curds. 

For  Starches. 

Dry  toast,  dried  and  then  brow^ned  by  hot  coals  or  very 
hot  oven.  Roast  grains  that  have  been  well  boiled  before 
roasting. 

\'egetables  to  Suit. 

Stewed  celery,  boiled  onions,  stewed  asparagus,  spin- 
ach, well  cooked,  tomatoes  (occasionally),  squash,  lettuce, 
string  beans,  green  peas,  radishes  (only  in  small  amount 
when  in  good  health),  rhubarb  (occasionally,  in  small 
amount). 

Fruits. 

Sour  fruits  should  be  used  with  the  meal  containing  the 
least  starch;  for  that  reason  we  class  them  with  the  meat 
or  egg  meal.     Baked  or  stewed  apples,  such  varieties  as 


252  PRE  NATAL  DIETARIES 

Ben  Davis,  Wine  Sap,  Northern  Spy,  and  Bellflower. 
Oranges  may  be  eaten  at  breakfast  or  an  hour  before,  with 
small  cup  of  hot  water.  Grapes,  without  skins  and  seeds, 
strawberries,  plums  of  the  large  varieties,  but  not  the  as- 
tringent kinds,  peaches,  pineapple  juice,  but  no  fibre. 
Fats. 

Cream,  butter,  nut  butter,  powdered  nuts  or  nut  foods, 
breakfast  bacon — broiled.     Butter  is  often  more  or  less 
rancid,  and  is  worse  in  this  respect  than  cream.     Good 
cream  and  nut  butter  are  the  best  of  all  tats. 
Drinks. 

Not  more  than  four  ounces  of  fluid  is  allowable  of  one 
of  the  following: 

Hot  water,  hot  water  and  milk  mixed,  caramel  cereal, 
cocoa  and  chocolate  in  small  quantities  are  permissible 
where  there  is  active  exercise.  Breakfast  should  contain 
from  one  and  a  half  to  two  and  a  half  ounces  of  protein — 
tissue-forming  food — and  should  give  from  one  thousand 
to  fourteen  hundred  calories.  (See  tables  giving  compo- 
sition of  foods.) 

Dinner. 

Dinner  should  not,  under  any  circumstances,  be  less 
than  five  nor  more  than  seven  hours  after  breakfast,  and 
should  be  regular.  Six  hours  is  the  best,  and  may  include 
one  or  two  articles  from  the  following  list,  for  each  meal : 

Corn  bread,  whole  wheat  bread,  Ralston  Health  Club 
Breakfast    Food,    wheat    germ    grits,    Granola,    Crystal 
Wheat,  rolled  oats,  rice,  beans,  hominy  and  other  cereal 
foods.     All  may  be  served  with  milk. 
Vegetables. 

Potatoes — baked,  boiled,  stewed,  roasted  or  mashed — 
though  mashed  potatoes  are  objectionable,  because  they 
do  not  get   sufficient  saliva  in  eating,  and   become  too 


PRE  NATAL  DIETARIF.S  253 

easily  swallowed.    Boiled  cabbage,  without  fat,  celery,  raw 
or  stewed,  greens,  spinach,  cauliflower,  pumpkins,  squash, 
green  peas,  string  beans,  green  corn,  tomatoes. 
Fruits. 

Apples — sweet  or  sub-acid,  baked  or  stewed  and  eaten 
without  sugar;  peaches  that  are  not  rich  in  acid,  sweet 
grapes,  figs,  stewed,  dates,  stewed  with  skins  removed, 
pears  (with  exceptions  of  those  that  are  puckery — they  are 
astringent  and  not  allowable),  prunes  with  skins  removed. 
Fats. 

Same  as  breakfast. 

Dinner' should  furnish  one  or  two  ounces  of  protein  and 
about  twelve  hundred  calories  of  heat.     This  is  not  arbi- 
trary, but  a  guide  to  diet  properly  balanced. 
Supper. 

Stale,  dry  bread,  dry  or  milk  toast,  boiled  rice — prefer- 
ably boiled  and  roasted — wheat  foods,  tapioca  or  sago, 
baked  potatoes,  honey  and  molasses  (sparingly),  baked  or 
stewed  apples,  sweet  grapes,  watermelons. 
Dessert. 

Fruit  pudding,  custard,  corn-starch,  rice  pudding,  gela- 
tine pudding,  ice  cream,  in  small  quantities,  slowly  eaten. 
Fats. 

Same  as  breakfast,  only  in  less  quantity. 
Drinks. 

Milk,  if  it  agrees,  otherwise  same  as  breakfast.  The 
breakfast  meal  may  sometimes  be  made  the  dinner  (noon) 
meal,  and  the  dinner  meal  the  breakfast.  Sugar  should 
be  avoided  so  as  to  allow  the  largest  use  of  fruits  and 
starches.  The  astringent  fruits,  such  as  blackberries, 
raspberries,  dew-berries,  cranberries,  pomegranates,  wild 
cherries  and  quinces  are  to  be  avoided,  except  when  there 
is  a  tendency  to  diarrhoea.  If  bowels  are  too  free,  leave 
ofif  the  coarse  vegetables,  the  cereals  containing  bran,  and 


254  TO  PROSPECTIVE  MOTHERS 

the  sour  fruits.     The  general  rules  heretofore  explained 
should  govern.     The  amount  of  food  must  be  adapted  to 
the  needs  as  governed  by  size,  exercise  or  labor,  weather 
and  peculiarities.     Prevent  constipation  without  drugs. 
CAUTION. 

Never  eat  many  different  foods  at  one  meal.  Three 
different  foods  at  one  meal  are  better  than  a  large  num- 
ber., Craving  Vfcry  unusual  or  unseasonable  foods  is 
unnatural.  Keep  the  thought  of  food,  and  for  that  matter 
all  thoughts  of  self  out  of  mind.  It  is  of  greatest  import- 
ance that  the  will  be  exercised  to  keep  well  and  pleasant 
and  not  be  disturbed  by  the  disagreeable  things  of  life. 
The  mind  should  be  occupied,  in  a  useful  way.  If  there 
be  great  desire  for  something  unusual  it  should  be  grati- 
fied in  such  a  moderate  way  as  not  to  do  harm." 
DIET  IN  CONFINEMENT  AND  FOR  NURSING 
MOTHERS. 

"The  bringing  of  a  new  life  into  the  world  is  a  great 
responsibility,  and  as  the  health  and  character  of  the  child 
is  dependent  upon  its  parents,  the  time  must  be  near  when 
they  will  see  that  it  is  far  more  important  to  have  children 
that  are  fit  to  live,  than  it  is  to  leave  them  wealth.  In 
ordinary  cases,  no  food  will  be  needed  during  labor,  but 
in  protracted  cases  it  is  better  to  sustain  the  strength  by 
a  cup  of  hot  meat  broth  or  hot  milk.  It  was  formerly 
thought  that  puerperal  women  should  be  fed  for  several 
days  on  broths  and  gruels,  under  the  belief  that  it  kept 
down  puerperal  fever,  which  was  much  more  common, 
before  the  danger  of  bacteria  was  known,  than  it  is  now 
under  modern  aseptic  surgery.  After  her  delivery,  the 
mother  should  drink  water  freely,  and  after  a  few  hours' 
rest  she  may  then  be  given  a  cup  of  hot  bouillon  or 
other  meat  broths,  but  they  must  not  contain  a  large 
amount  of  fat.     If  the  patient  is  disposed  to  eat  an}1:hing. 


DRUGS  DURING  NURSING  255 

she  mav  again  be  fed  a  small  amount  of  milk  toast,  in  fonr 
or  five  hours,  if  made  according  to  directions.  Some  physi- 
cians allow  meat  and  solid  foods,  but  it  would  seem  to  be 
better  to  confine  the  diet  to  soft  and  easily  digested  foods 
until  the  bowels  have  moved  two  or  three  times.  Among 
the  foods  allowable  for  the  first  two  or  three  days,  are: 
broths,  milk  if  it  agrees  with  the  patient  ordinarily;  one 
e^g  at  a  meal,  if  cooked  but  litde,  without  fat,  or  an  egg 
may  be  stirred  in  any  of  the  broths,  only  moderately  hot, 
but  not  boiling.  Wheat,  breakfast  foods  thoroughly- 
cooked,  boiled  rice,  cooked  four  hours,  baked  sweet 
apples,  cream,  a  little  butter  or  nut  butter,  and  any  of  the 
drinks  allowed  before  childbirth.  On  the  second  or  third 
day,  she  may  resume  her  ordinary  diet,  unless  there  is 
some  particular  reason  for  not  doing  S'O.  After  a  child  is 
born,  a  mother  has  two  lives  to  feed  from  one  set  of 
digestive  organs.  Her  own  health  must  be  considered 
and  also  that  of  her  child.  And  in  this  connection  it  will 
be  useful  to  consider  what  affects  the  mother's  milk.  The 
medical  profession  believe  that  acids  ingested  by  the 
mother,  cause  colic  in  her  babe  and  sometimes  griping  and 
purging,  and  therefore  forbid  the  use  of  ordinary  fruits, 
but  the  sweet  fruits  are  not  only  allowable,  but  beneficial. 
Potash  salts,  eaten  by  a  nursing  mother  act  as  a  diuretic 
m  the  nursing  child.  Large  quantities  of  potatoes  eaten 
by  the  mother  would  likely  act  as  a  diuretic  in  the  child, 
but  no  experiment  of  this  kind  has  ever  been  reported, 
and  no  apparent  injury  has  ever  been  observed.  The 
greatest  danger  is  from  the  indigestion  of  the  mother. 
The  human  system  being  a  sort  of  laboratory,  if  it  be 
thrown  out  of  balance,  it  may  poison  itself,  and  some  of 
the  poison  must  necessarily  appear  in  the  mother's  milk. 
Violent  exercise  or  great  emotion  or  mental  strain  on  the 
part  of  the  mother   endangers  her  nursing  child.     This  is 


256  DIET  AT  WEANING 

not  all  the  danger  to  which  the  child  is  subject,  for  an 
overdose  of  laudanum  taken  by  a  mother  has  been  known 
to  kill  her  nursing  child.  Antimony  and  iodide  of  potas- 
sium are  said  to  pass  most  readily  into  milk,  while 
senna,  rhubarb,  sulphur,  castor-oil,  turpentine,  copaiba 
and  anise;  the  salts  of  mercury,  lead,  arsenic  and  zinc  are 
excreted  in  the  milk.  Nursing  mothers  must  be  careful 
about  taking  drugs.  Diet  must  be  adapted  to  secure  good 
digestion,  and  constipation  must  be  avoided  by  proper 
regulation  of  diet,  which  should  be  done  according  to  the 
rules  heretofore  laid  down.  Menstruation  during  nursing 
is  likely  to  change  the  mother's  milk,  and  make  it  neces- 
sary to  feed  the  child  in  some  other  way.  At  weaning, 
the  mother  should  eat  a  dry  diet,  and  drink  as  little  as  pos- 
sible, to  keep  in  health." 


CHAPTER  XXII. 
DIETETIC  ERRORS  AND  DIETARIES. 

"Doctor  in  discussing  digestion  and  foods  you  have 
frequently  spoken  of  dietetic  errors.  Would  it  not  be  a 
good  idea  to  enumerate  them?" 

"Perhaps  so,  but  one  scarcely  knows  what  to  give 
the  greatest  prominence.  For  convenience,  I  will  begin 
with  one  of  the  most  general  faults,  and  enumerate  them 
as  follows: 

1 — Overeating. 

2 — Eating  fried  foods. 

3 — Drinking  an  excess  of  fluids  during  meals. 

4 — Drinking  cold  drinks  at  meals  or  during  digestion. 

5 — Drinking  an  excess  of  liquids,  especially  beer,  or 
ice  water. 

6 — Excessive  use  of  strong  tea  or  strong  cofifee, 

7 — Haste  in  eating,  resulting  in  imperfect  mastication, 
and  the  insufficient  admixture  of  saliva  with  the  food. 

8 — Excessive  meat  eating,  including  wild  game. 

9 — Excessive  sugar  eating. 

10 — Eating  doughy  bread,  pancakes  and  pastry. 

11 — Eating  vegetables  hastily,  without  chopping  the 
fibres. 

12 — Eating  tough,  raw  vegetables. 

13 — Irritating  foods,  pungent  vegetables,  pepper,  salt, 
mustard,  and  other  irritating  substances. 

14 — Taking  foods  and  drinks  excessively  hot. 

15 — Pickles  and  vinegar. 

1(] — The  admixture  of  starches  and  acids. 

17 — Incompatible  foods  such  as  strong  tea,  and  eggs, 
acids  or  vinegar  and  milk,  tea,  cheese  and  acids. 


258  DIETETIC  ERPORS 

18 — Eating  fruits  with  seeds  or  skins,  especially  black- 
berries, raspberries,  grapes,  currants,  gooseberries,  raisins 
and  cranberries. 

19 — Eating  green  and  overripe  fruits. 

20 — Excessive  cooking  of  meat. 

21 — Insufficient  cooking  of  starches. 

22 — Excessive  consumption  of  fats. 

23 — Eating  too  little  food. 

24 — Eating  food  containing  too  little  waste  such  as: 
milk,  eggs,  white  bread,  potatoes,  butter,  sugar,  meat. 

25 — Eating  food  containing  too  coarse  waste,  such  as 
green,  dried  or  canned  corn,  and  the  tough  skins  of  peas 
and  beans. 

26 — Excessive  consumption  of  starch,  such  as  a  diet  of 
white  bread  and  potatoes. 

27 — Diet  deficient  in  mineral  matter. 

28 — Eating  an  excessive  quantity  of  sour  fruits. 

29 — Foods  containing  Ptomaines  from  decay. 

30 — Eating  too  many  kinds  of  food  at  the  same  meal. 

31 — Eating  too  frequently,  and  not  allowing  the 
stomach  time  to  empty  itself. 

32 — Irregularity  of  eating. 

33 — Going  too  long  without  eating. 

"Most  of  these  have  been  discussed,  and  those  that  have 
not,  will  be  treated  at  greater  length  under  causes  of  in- 
digestion." 

"Doctor,  who  requires  the  most  food?" 

"Growing  boys  sixteen  or  seventeen  years  old,  who  do 
the  hard  physical  labor  of  mature  men." 

"What  do  you  call  hard  labor?" 

"Harvesting,  clearing  land,  chopping  cord  wood,  dig- 
gmg  ditches,  brick  and  stone  masonry,  plastering,  hand- 
ling freight  and  heavy  material  in  foundries,  factories  and 


FOOD  REQUIRED  259 

mills,  and  other  labor  requiring^  g^rcat  activity  and  use  of 
strength.'^ 

"How  are  the  needs  of  the  different  classes  estintated?" 

"You  will  remember  that  fords  are  divided  into  two 
general  classes:  Tissue-forming  and  heat-producing. 
The  variation  of  amount  of  food  needed  is  mainly  of  the 
latter  class,  and  is  estimated  by  units  of  heat  called  calories 
or  rather  by  kilogram  degree  calories." 

"What  do  you  mean  by  calories?" 

"Foods  have  been  tested  for  their  heat  or  force-pro- 
ducing power,  by  scientific  methods,  and  the  term  calorie 
is  the  unit  measure  of  heat  produced.  Now  one  thousand 
calories  make  one  kilogram  degree  calorie,  which  is 
ordinarily  understood  when  the  term  calorie  is  used." 

"Then  the  heat  and  force  producing  value  of  food  is  [ 
estimated  according  to  the  amount  of  work  or  exertion  it 
sustains  measured  in  calories." 

"Yes  that  is  it.  Fats  are  the  greatest  heat  producers, 
and  butter  produces  220  calories  to  the  ounce,  and  toma- 
toes only  five.  Next  to  fats  sugar  and  starch  produce 
the  highest  calories — flour  producing  103,  and  sugar  113 
calories  to  the  ounce."' 

"What  should  the  diet  contain?" 

"Our  daily  diet  should  contain  three  to  six  ounces  of 
protein,  and  heat-producing  material  to  make  from  two 
thousand  five  hundred  to  5,000  calorics  (exceptional  cases 
may  require  more  than  5000  or  less  than  2500),  mineral 
matter,  and  some  waste — a  large  amount  for  the  sedentary 
and  constipated." 

"I  see  the  value  of  this.  One  could  not  eat  enough  cab- 
bage or  tomatoes  to  produce  one-fourth  enough  calories 
for  a  hard  day's  labor." 

"That  is  true,  and  here  is  where  the  vegetarian  diet  has 
failed^  when  relied  on  for  hard  labor,  because  it  made 


260  DIET  FOR  THE  AGED 

too  much  bulk  to  produce  the  calories  necessary.  But- 
ter, ground  nuts  or  meats,  must  be  added  to  a  vegetable 
diet  to  raise  the  calories  without  making  too  great  bulk. 

"Old  age  is  almost  synonymous  with  physical  discom- 
fort and  disease,  as  if  it  were  not  enough  to  see  the  light 
of  life  fading  away,  nature  is  inclined  to  inflict  all  the  over- 
due penalties  for  the  transgressions  on  her  for  the  entire 
life.  But  the  aged  are  not  without  hope,  for  such  illus- 
trious examples  as  Gladstone  and  others  clearly  show 
human  possibilities.  Those  who  are  too  thin  to  cast  a 
shadow,  can  scout  the  idea  that  they  will  '"dry  up  and 
blow  away,"  likewise  the  fat  rheumatic  and  gouty,  can  dis- 
prove that  excessive  fat  is  but  another  name  for  folly. 
The  digestive  organs  are  often  the  first  to  weaken,  and 
with  poor  blood,  the  system  is  well-nigh  defenseless 
against  dislease.  fThose  who  have  b/cen'  large  eaters, 
usually  continue  so.,  notwithstanding  the  lessened  de- 
mands of  the  system.  This  may  overcrowd  the  blood 
vessels,  which  their  weakening  walls  will  not  stand,  and 
apoplexy  is  the  result.  The  most  common  fault  in  the 
dietetic  habits  of  the  aged,  is  eating  an  excess  of  sugar  and 
meat.  This  clogs  the  system  with  nitrogenous  waste,  and 
causes  rheumatism,  which  is  well  nigh  universal  among 
the  aged  well-to-do.  Those  who  would  be  free  from 
-disease,  must  bear  in  mind  the  lessened  needs  of  the 
system  that  follow  from  a  less  active  life,  common  to  old 
age,  and  that  it  becomes  less  and  less  able  to  dispose  of 
any  excess  of  food.  They  must  also  bear  in  mind  that 
besides  the  weakness,  incident  to  advancing  years,  diges- 
tion is  also  weakened  by  general  inactivity  of  the  body. 
WHAT  NOT  TO  EAT.' 

Fried  meat,  nor  fried  foods  of  any  kind.  Fresh  bread, 
as  ordinarily  made,  hot  bread,  saturated  with  butter  or 
gravy,  hot  biscuit,  cakes  of  every  kind,  pies  with  short- 


DIET  F(^I?  THH  AGHD  261 

ened  pie  crust,  pickles,  vincg-ar.  saiicr  kraut,  salt  meats, 
sausages,  salt  fish,  dried  meats,  raw  onions,  raw  vegetables, 
strong  tea  and  coffee. 

Foods  that  may  be  sparingly  (occasionally)  used : 

Sugar,  molasses,  syrup,  honey,  boiled  ham.  breakfast 
bacon,  sweet  iwtatoes,  cabbage  boiled  without  fat,  rhu- 
barb, if  no  rheumatism  or  disease  of  digestive  organs, 
astringent  fruits,  such  as  cranberries  and  raspberries. 
SUITABLE  DIET. 

Stale  or  dry  hght  bread,  wheat  foods  according  to 
taste  and  condition,  but  particularly  gluten  biscuit,  or 
gluten  meal,  rolled  oats,  pearl  barley,  rice,  hominy  of  all 
kinds,  eggs,  milk,  cream,  butter,  fresh  fish,  fresh  beef, 
mutton  and  fowl,  but  not  oftener  than  once  a  day;  puree 
made  of  peas,  beans  or  potatoes,  stewed  celery,  string 
beans,  cauliflower,  asparagus,  cooked  onions,  beets  with- 
out vinegar;  all  fruits,  except  astringent  ones,  such  as  rasp- 
berries, blackberries  and  some  varieties  of  pears;  quinces. 

If  old  people  want  to  avoid  rheumatism,  they  must 
avoid  eating  much  meat.  They  must  also  be  careful 
about  eating  fatty  foods  and  sugar,  as  such  a  diet  will  be 
too  fattening,  and  throw  the  diet  out  of  balance.  For 
those  not  engaged  in  hard  labor,  two  meals  a  day  is  all 
that  is  permissible.  These  should  be  at  eight  or  nine  in 
the  morning,  and  three  or  four  in  the  afternoon,  but 
should  be  regular.  Nothing  must  be  eaten  between 
meals.  If  food  be  needed  at  night  before  bed  time,  a  cuj> 
of  hot  milk  or  a  baked  apple  may  be  eaten,  and  will  often 
cure  f^leeplessness.  Tea  and  coffee  are  bad  for  all  ages, 
but  particularly  so  for  the  aged. 

DIET  FOR  BICYCLISTS  AND  ATHLETES. 

■'Athletes  desire  the  greatest  strength  and  endurance, 
with  activity  developed  in  the  highest  degree.  To  this  end 
mucles  are  developed,  fat  and  water  reduced.'' 


262  DIET   FOR  ATHLETES 

"How  is  this  pccomplished?" 

"By  a  diet  rich  in  nitrogen  and  poor  in  fat  and  starch, 
aided  by  systematic  exercise,  massage  and  baths." 

"As  I  understand  it,  the  bulk  of  an  athlete's  diet  in  train- 
ing, is  meat?" 

"Yes,  and  if  you  will  notice  contests,  you  will  observe 
that  it  frequently  happens  that  some  one  breaks  down.'' 

"In  the  haste  to  reduce  fat,  so  litde  water  is  given,  with 
a  diet  so  rich  in  nitrogen,  as  meat  is.  the  kidneys  are  over- 
burdened, and  there  is  auto-intoxication/' 

"Then  the  meat  diet  is  carried  to  far?" 

"Yes,  soft  cooked  eggs  and  milk  are  better  than  all  meat, 
and  dry  gluten  biscuit,  without  sugar  is  still  better.  If 
good,  fresh  gluten  biscuit  are  not  easily  obtained,  bread 
made  of  wheat  flour,  or  middlings  may  be  washed  in  cold 
water  until  the  starch  is  dissolved,  and  the  remaining 
gluten  may  then  be  baked  or  cooked  as  desired." 

"What  is  the  advantage  of  wheat  gluten?" 

"It  serves  about  all  the  purposes  of  meat,  without  the 
danger  from  uric  acid,  which  meat  produces." 

"Would  you  allow  bread?" 

"Yes.  Entire  wheat  bread,  because  it  contains  more 
gluten,  or,  what  is  still  better,  dry  crackers  made  of  entire 
wheat  flour  without  sugar.  These  are  an  aid  towards 
maintaining  a  dry  diet  and  are  better  than  toast.  Coarse 
vegetables  must  not  be  used,  as  there  will  not  be  constipa- 
tion with  the  necessar}^  exercise,  massage  and  baths  in- 
cident to  training.  An  orange  or  half  lemon  may  be 
occasionally  eaten  a  half  hour  before  meals." 

"Then  athletes  must  not  eat  vegetables?" 

"In  very  limited  quantities,  if  at  all.  If  there  be  a  ten- 
dency to  constipation,  there  should  be  an  increased  allow- 
ance of  such  foods  as  granose  or  cereals  with  fine  bran. 
Amateurs  who  have  no  such  aid  as  massage  and  baths 


DIET  FOR  ATHLETES 


263 


need  more  coarse  food,  and  should  cat  any  of  the  cereals 
prepared  by  boihng  and  roasting." 

"You  haven't  given  a  complete  diet  list?" 
Stale  bread — small  quantity;  dry  toast;  beaten  wheat 
crackers;  biscuit  without  sugar  or  shortening;  granose, 
dry;  bromose;  beef  steak  Vvithout  fat  or  butter,  or  roast 
beef  when  cooked  by  basting  in  dough;  eggs  soft,  without 
fat;  must  not  be  fried;  fresli  fish;  beans  and  peas;  nut 
meal;  cream;  butter;  nut  butter. 


HEAT  OR  FORCE  PRODUCING  FOOD. 

QUANTITY  RFQLIRCD  FOR  ONE  DAY. 

Light  Work. 

Moderate 

Work. 

Hard  Labor. 

Wheat  Flour 

28  OZ. 

36  oz. 

45  oz. 

White  bread 

38  oz. 

48  oz. 

60  oz. 

Corn  meal 

28  oz. 

36  oz. 

45  oz. 

Oatmeal 

24  oz. 

30  oz. 

38  oz. 

Lard 

10  oz. 

13  oz. 

17  oz. 

Rice 

28  oz. 

36  oz. 

45  oz. 

Rye 

28  oz. 

36  oz. 

45  oz. 

Sugar 

28  oz. 

36  oz. 

45  oz. 

Barley 
Buckwheat 

28  oz. 
30  oz. 

36  oz. 
38  oz. 

45  oz. 
48  oz. 

Beans 

28  oz. 

36  oz. 

45  oz. 

Peas 

28  oz. 

36  oz. 

45  oz. 

Butter 

12  oz. 

16  oz. 

17  oz. 

Eggs 

56  oz. 

76  oz. 

96  oz. 

Beef 
Potatoos 
Sweet  potatoes 
Cabbage 
Cauliflower 

64  oz. 
7  pounds 
4-5    " 
15     " 
14     " 

88  oz. 
9  pounds 
6       '• 
20     " 
19     " 

7  pounds 
12     " 

8  " 
27     " 
26     " 

Btrets 

12     " 

16     " 

21     " 

Carrots 

15     " 

16     " 

21     •' 

264 


FORCE  VALUE  OF  FOOD 


Turnips 

18 

pounds 

,  2\  pounds       32 

pounds 

Tomatoes 

25 

34 

45 

Celery 

30 

40 

52 

Onions 

12 

16 

21 

Radishes 

23 

32 

42 

Cucumbers 

40 

55 

75 

Asparagus 

23 

32 

42 

Milk 

8 

11 

14 

Skim  milk 

12 

16 

21 

Apples 

7 

10 

13 

As  all  the  nutriment,  shown  by  chemical  analysis,  can 
never  be  extracted,  this  table  does  not  accurately  indicate 
the  amount  of  food  required. 

Eggs  and  milk  contain  the  least  indigestible  matter, 
while  in  such  foods  as  cucumbers  or  pickles  it  is  doubtful 
if  more  than  half  or  three-fourths  of  the  nutriment  as 
shown  by  chemical  analysis,  is  really  available  for  the 
system.  The  preceding  table  is  intended  to  point  our 
the  deficiencies  of  foods  as  heaL  or  force-producers,  and 
the  succeeding  one  the  defects  of  foods  as  tissue  builders. 

Table  showing  the  amount  of  heat  per  ounce  of  the 
principal  foods,  and  number  of  ounces  of  each  food  from 
which  one  ounce  of  protein  can  be  extracted. 

NUTRIMENT  IN  FOODS 

Qnantity  of  food  from  which 


FOODS. 
MEATS. 

Chuck 

Calories  per  oz. 

47 

one  bz  of  p 
be  extr 

5oz. 

Ribs,  lean 

54 

5.2  oz. 

Ribs,  fat 

96 

5.7  oz. 

Round  steak 

58 

5.1  oz. 

Canned  beef 

88 

■     4.1  oz. 

Dried  beef 

60 

2.5  oz. 

Veal 

50 

5oz. 

NUTRIMENT  OF  FOODS  26S 


Lamb 

95 

5.7  oz. 

Pork,  shoulders 

118 

7.6  oz. 

Hum 

121 

6.2  oz. 

Salt  pork,  fat 

250 

12.2  oz. 

Pigs'  feet 

56 

6.2  oz. 

Chicken 

31 

4.4  oz. 

Turkey 

84 

4.8  oz. 

Fish 

28 

4.9  oz. 

Salmon 

58 

4.8  oz. 

Oysters 

!■; 

16  oz. 

Eggs,  white 

8.5  oz. 

"     yolk 

6.6  oz. 

"     average 

45 

7oz. 

Milk 

20 

30  oz. 

Milk  skimmed 

11 

30  oz. 

Condensed  milk 

89 

12.1  oz, 

Cream 

57 

40  oz. 

Cheese  (whole) 

123 

3.9  oz. 

Skim  milk 

82 

3.2  oz. 

Gelatine 

96 

1.2  oz. 

Lard 

264 

all  fat 

Butter 

217 

all  fat 

Oleomargarine 

220 

78  oz. 

Entire  wheat 

104 

7oz. 

Common  flour 

104 

9oz. 

Macaroni 

102 

8.5  oz. 

Barley  (pearl) 

104 

11  oz. 

Buck  wheat  flour 

99 

13  oz. 

Corn  meal  bolted 

103 

11  oz. 

Hominy 

103 

13  oz. 

Pop  corn 

117 

11  oz. 

Rolled  oats 

116 

6  oz. 

Rice 

102 

13  oz. 

266  NUTRIMENT  OF  FOODS 


Boiled  rice 

56 

20  oz. 

Rye  tlour 

102 

14  oz. 

White  bread,  dry 

75 

11  oz. 

Soda  crackers 

119 

10  oz. 

Gluten 

24 

1.2  oz. 

Apple  pie 

78 

30  oz. 

Tapioca  pudding 

49 

28  oz. 

Beans 

99 

4.5  oz. 

Beans,  string 

12 

45  oz. 

Asparagus 

7 

55  oz. 

Beets 

13 

90  oz. 

Cabbage 

10 

48  oz. 

Cauliflower 

11 

60  oz. 

Olery 

5 

71  oz. 

Green  corn 

22 

36  oz. 

Greens 

17 

27  oz. 

Lettuce 

7 

75  oz. 

Onions 

15 

60  oz. 

Peas 

102 

4.1  oz. 

Green  peas 

25 

22  oz. 

Cucumbers 

4 

125  oz. 

Potato,  boiled 

30 

37  oz. 

Sour  Krout 

9 

67  oz. 

Tomatoes 

12 

71  oz. 

Sugar 

116 

FRUITS. 

Apples 

21 

200  oz. 

Bananas 

30 

83  oz. 

Grapes 

20 

100  oz. 

Oranges 

14 

125  oz. 

Strawberries 

11 

100  oz. 

Rasins 

102 

40  oz. 

Figs,  dried 

87 

19.5  oz, 

NUTRIMENT  OF  FOODS 


267 


Dates,  dried 

97 

45  oz 

Chestauts 

"1 

15  oz 

Peanuts 

160 

4  oz 

4  oz. 

bread 

equals: 


4  oz. 
beef 
equals: 

4  oz. fat 
beef  equals 


4  OZ. 

boiled 
rice 


APPROXIMATE   FOOD  EQUIVALENTS. 

4  OZ.  boiled  rice  and  1:^  oz.  round   steak, 

or  1  oz.  chicken,  4  oz.  potatoes,  1^  oz.  butter. 

or  3  oz.  corn  bread,  9  oz.  cabbage, 

or  6  oz.  boiled  potatoes.  6  oz.  milk, 

or  6  oz.       "  "  1  oz.  steak  and  1  oz.  sugar, 

or  4J  oz,  cookevl  rolled  oats, 

or  4  oz.  boiled  hominy  and  4  oz.  milk, 

or  2  oz.  e[7g,  4  oz.  potato,  2  oz.  tapioca  pudding, 

or  4  oz.  potato,  4  oz,  green  corn,  4  oz.  lettuce, 

or  4  oz.  boiled  onion  and  4  oz.  cucumber, 

or  1  oz.  ham,  3  oz.  rice,  2  oz.  skimmed  milk, 

or  10  oz.  milk  and  2-oz.  cream, 

or  2  oz.  eggs,  10  oz.  apples, 

or  2  oz.  bread  and  12  oz.  skimmed  milk, 

11  oz.  skimmed  milk, 

or  2  oz.  beans  raw  or  4  oz.  cooked,  ^oz.  gluten, 

or  \h,  oz.  peanuts  and  5  oz.  skimmed  milk. 

3  oz.  peanuts. 

7  oz.  boiled  potato, 

or  4  oz.  green  peas  and  6  oz.  apples, 

or  8  oz.  cabbage,  h  oz.  bacou, 

or  3J  oz.  cooked  rolled  oats, 

or  IJ  oz.  egg,  §  oz.  butter, 

or  1  oz.  steak,  §  oz.  butter,  [bacon. 

or  6  oz.  onions,  6  oz.  sour  krout,  \  oz.  lard  or 


rice"  i°2o^  f  ^  °^-  ^gg  ^"^  ^  *^^'  t"Jtter,  or  1  oz.  pork 
2  o^"'"miik-  I  shoulder  and  7  oz.  potato. 


268 


NUTRIMENT  OF  FOODS 


2  oz. 
milk. 
4  oz. 
rolled 
oats, 
(8  oz. 
cooked  ) 


4  oz. 
peanuts 


4  oz. 

beans. 


4  oz. 

eggs. 


4  oz.  ham, 

or  3  oz.  lean  beef,  4  oz.  potato, 3-5  oz.  butter, 

or  23  oz.  whole  milk, 

or  4  oz.  cooked  beans,  7  oz.  potatoes, 

or  20  oz.  skimmed  milk,  1  oz.  bacon, 

or  3  oz  egg,  3  oz.  bread,  J  oz.  butter, 

or  2f  peanuts  and  1  oz.  potatoes. 

5  oz.  round  steak  and  1^  oz.  fat  bacon, 
or  28  oz.  whole  milk, 

or  4  oz.  chicken,  6  oz.  potato,  2  oz.  bacon, 
or  5  oz.  fish  and  2  oz,  fat  pork, 
or  7  oz.  eggs,  1  oz.  butter  and  3  oz.  cabbage, 
or  4  oz.  beans,  4  oz.  boiled  rice. 

4  oz.  beef,  3  oz.  pototoes,  ^  oz.  butter, 

or  5  oz.  fat  beef, 

or  3  oz.  chicke'n,  3  oz.  potatoes,  1  oz.  butter, 

or  6  oz.  eggs,  2  oz.  cream, 

or  4  oz.  bread,  2  oz.  fish  and  1  oz,  cream. 

^  17  oz.  skimmed  miik, 
or  2  oz.  lean  beef  and  2  oz.  potatoes, 
or  2  oz.  fish  and  4  oz.  potatoes, 
or  3-5  oz.  gluten  and  1  oz.  oat  meal. 


''butteri  ^  °^*  medium  fat  beef  steak. 


4  oz. 
chicken 


4  oz. 
potato. 


1^  oz.  gluten, 
or  IJ  oz.  gelatine, 
or  4^  oz.  fish. 

f  4  oz.  banana, 
or  li  oz.  raisins, 

or  4  oz.  apples  and  2  oz.  skimmed  milk, 
or  1  oz.  green  peas  and  5  oz.  grapes. 


GENERAL  DIETARIES  269 

Those  foods  that  are  rich  hi  protein,  but  have  but  little 
starch  or  fat  have  but  few  equivalents.  The  principal 
foods  of  this  class  are  chicken,  fish,  gelatine  and  gluten. 

It  will  be  well  to  remember  that  no  foods  have  perfect 
equivalents;  that  each  food  contains  more  or  less  mineral 
matter  peculiar  to  itself;  also  that  protein,  starch,  fat 
and  sugar  are  not  perfect  substitutes  for  each  other.  The 
same  foods  vary  in  their  composition,  so  that  the  propor- 
tions that  would  ordinarily  be  equivalents,  are  not  always 
the  same. 

It  must  not  be  assumed  that  knowledge  of  the  com- 
parative value  of  foods  is  of  no  benefit,  for  the  needs  of 
the  human  system,  come  Avithin  certain  limits,  and  it  is 
of  greatest  importance  that  all  persons  select  their  foods 
to  meet  their  particular  needs,  and  we  should  be  well 
enough  informed  to  do  this,  without  any  special  effort, 
just  as  a  person  sliouid  be  able  to  speak  grammatically, 
without  stopping  to  consider  all  the  rules  of  syntax. 

Appetite  is  seldom,  if  ever,  a  reliable  guide,  thougl>  if. 
may  have  been  so  several  thousand  years  ago. 

The  cheapest  food  on  which  one  can  live,  in  most  por- 
tions of  the  United  States,  is  corn.  It  does  not  furnish 
a  perfect  food,  but  one  can  live  on  it  for  months,  perhaps 
many  years. 

Ten  to  16  oz.  of  corn  makes  the  cheapest  meal  and 
the  best  cheap  meal  in  the  world.  The  cost  would  be 
from  one  half  to  three-fourths  of  a  cent,  and  if  perfectly 
cooked  it  is  quite  palatable.  Ordinarily  it  is  not  half 
cooked,  and  to  prepare  it  properly,  it  should  be  boiled 
until  the  grains  will  scarcely  hold  together  (corn. will  re- 
quire from  three  to  five  hours),  then  dried  and  roasted 
until  quite  brown  and  dry.  It  may  then  be  ground  or 
eaten  whole,  but  great  care  should  be  taken  to  masticate 


270  CHEAPEST  DIET 

it  thoroughly,  although  the  boiling  makes  it  dissolve  very 
readily  as  compared  with  parched  or  pop  corn. 

A  little  butter  and  salt  improves  its  palatability.  Wheat, 
oats  rye,  rice,  and  barley  may  be  treated  in  the  same 
manner.  After  parchmg  they  may  be  softened  by  a  few 
moments'  cooking,  but  it  is  best  to  eat  them  dry.  There 
are  no  foods  so  wholesome  and  nutritious  as  well  boiled 
and  roasted  cereals. 

ROASTED  CEREALS. 

If  the  cereals  were  treated  as  described,  and  then  re- 
duced to  fine  flour,  all  the  phosphates  and  gluten  would 
be  saved  without  any  objectionable  bran,  as  the  cooking 
and  roasting  makes  it  possible  to  reduce  the  tough  bran  to 
a  palatable  flour.  Starch  indigestion  would  almost  be 
unknown,  if  dry  parched  flours  were  used,  for  the  reason 
that  dry  foods  cannot  be  swallowed  without  mastication 
and  saliva.  If  people  could  be  taught  to  use  their  saliva 
in  their  food,  instead  of  trying  to  float  cuspidors  and  cars, 
fewer  people  would  be  dyspeptic. 

The  simplest  and  cheapest  diet  may  be  made  of  cereals 
or  cereals  and  butter,  or  cereals  and  cream,  cereals  and 
nuts.  A  meal  would  require  eight  to  twelve  ounces  of 
dry  cereals,  one  ounce  of  fat  and  six  or  eight  ounces  of 
milk.  The  diet  of  the  Americans  is  mainly  bread,  meat, 
potatoes.    An  average  meal  would  probably  contain  about 


Oz.  Protein. 

Calories 

4  oz.  bread  give 

,3,6 

300 

4  "  meat     " 

.73 

240 

4  oz.  potatoes 

.13 

120 

1  oz.   ard 

164 

1  oz.  butter 

217 

1  oz.  sugar 

116 

2  oz.  milk 

.10 

40 

10  oz,  coffee 

Total 

1.39 

1197 

DIETARIES 


271 


People  who  cat  fried  meat  and  gravies  arc  likely  to  ex- 
ceed the  above  allowance  of  fat,  so  that  the  ordinary  meal 
shows  an  excess  of  fat  and  sugar,  but  too  little  waste  and 
too  much  fluid. 

The  coarse  garden  vegetable  and  fruits  arc  not  impor- 
tant factors,  in  force  or  tissue  production,  but  they  arc  im- 
portalnt  for  other  fpurposes — filling-,  cleansing.  The 
main  part  of  our  diet  must  consist  of  cereal  foods,  legumes, 
meats,  fish,  nuts,  fats,  starch,  potato,  sugar,  milk  and 
cream.  A  meat  diet  for  three  meals,  moderate  work, 
should  be  about  as  follows: 

BRE.VKFAST.  I'rotein.        Calories 

4  oz.  entire  wheat 


bread,  stale 
2  oz.  lean  meat 
4  oz.  cooked  oatmeal 
4  oz.  whole  milk 
2  oz.  cream 
J  oz.  butter 
J  oz.  sugar 
4  oz.  cereal  coffee 

Total, 


.45 
.29 
.33 
.13 


300 
120 
232 

80 
114 
109 

59 


1.20       1014 


DINNER.  Protein.  Calories. 

6  oz.  entire  wheat  bread  .67  450 

6  oz.  potatoes  .20  180 

2  oz.  fat  meat,  beef  .37  180 

4  oz.  beans  (cooked)        .50  240 
4  oz.  coarse  vegetables     .10  60 

1  oz.  butter  217 
4  oz.  milk  and  hot  water  .07  28 


Total,  1.91  1347 

SUPPER.  Protein.  Calories. 

4  oz.  entire  wheat  bread  .45        300 
6  oz.  cooked  rice  .47        330 


272  DIETARIES 

Protein.       Calorie 

6  oz.  whole  milk  .20        120 

2  oz.  ham,  boiled  .33        242 

^  oz.  sugar  58 

J  oz.  butter  109 


Total,  1.45       1159 

For  those  who  do  no  physical  work,  and  take  but  little 
exercise,  the  quantities  should  be  reduced  from  fifteen  to 
twenty-five  per  cent,  while  those  doing  hard  labor  will 
require  from  twenty  to  thirty  per  cent,  more  in  heat-pro- 
ducing foods.  The  cereals  should  be  slightly  increased, 
but  the  main  addition  for  hard  labor  must  be  in  fat  and 
sugar. 

The  dietary  for  the  three  meals  is  not  an  ideal  one,  but 
made  to  bring  ordinary  usage  into  better  harmony  with 
physical  needs.  It  would  be  better  to  make  breakfast  a 
larger  meal  than  supper,  but  it  is  not  the  usual  practice, 
so  the  diet  list  given  is  arranged  accordingly. 

We  would  be  doing  less  than  our  duty  if  we  did  not 
say  that,  ordinarily,  for  those  who  do  no  labor,  meat 
should  not  be  eaten  but  once  a  day,  and  by  many  people 
not  at  all.  We  submit  the  following  as  the  best  dietary  for 
light  labor,  with  meat  once  a  day: 


BREAKFAST. 

Protein.       Calories. 

5  oz.  Granose 

.71         500 

3  oz.  milk 

.13          80 

3  oz.  powdered  nuts. 

.75        480 

6  oz.  baked  apples 

.03        126 

4  oz.  hot  water  or  cereal  coffee. 

Total, 

1.62       1206 

DINNER. 

Protein.       Calories. 

4  OZ.  entire  wheat 

bread,  dry 

.45        300 

DIETARIES 


rjs 


4  oz. 


1  oz 

4  oz 


3  oz.  roast  chickon, 

4  oz.  potato 

4  oz.  string  beans 

3  oz.  hominy  with  2  oz. 

cream 
rice  or  tapioca 

pudding 
butter 
hot  drink 
Total, 

SUPPER. 

5  OZ.  dry  toast 
8  oz.  milk 

4  oz.  cauliflower 
^  oz.  butter 
4  oz.  peaches 
^  oz.  sugar 
4  oz.  hot  drink. 

Total, 


Protein. 

.70 
.20 
.09 

.25 

.18 


Calories. 

93 

80 
48 

165 

310 

217 


1.87 

1223 

rotein. 

Calories. 

.55 

450 

.26 

160 

.05 

44 

109 

58 

.87      821 


For  those  who  eat  light  lunches  at  or  near  noon,  the 
morning  and  evening  meals  will  be  larger,  lunch  taking 
the  place  of  supper. 

It  will  be  observed  that  the  dietary  here  given,  is  con- 
siderably below  what  other  writers  allow  for  light  work, 
but  to  those  who  are  not  traveling  in  ruts  already  made, 
it  may  be  learned  that  the  difference  between  light  work 
and  hard  labor  is  much  greater  than  usually  allowed. 
The  fault  is  that  the  allowance  for  light  labor  is  too  high, 
and  that  for  hard  labor  loo  low.  A  laborer's  meals  may 
be  patterned  after  the  following: 

Protein.       Calories. 

5  oz.  dry  bread  .55        375 

6  oz.  cooked  rolled  oats     .50        360 


DIETARIES 

Protein. 

Calories. 

.10 

90 

.40 

116 

.10 

276 

.20 

120 

217 

58 

.10 

52 

274 


3  oz.  potatoes 
2  oz.  lean  meat 
2  oz.  bacon 
6  oz.  milk 
1  oz.  butter 
^  oz.  sugar 

4  oz.  cabbage 

Total,  1.95       1654 

One  of  the  common  errors  for  those  who  do  hard  work, 
is  to  eat  too  much  coarse,  watery  foods  and  to  drink  too 
much  fluid  with  their  meals.  This  causes  the  stomach  to 
be  unduly  distended,  and  it  is  frequently  unable  to  Rrop- 
e'-ly  har.  lie  th  >.  great  bulk.  A  moment's  reflection  will 
convince  anyone  that  the  stomach  cannot  have  the  same 
contractile  power  when  its  walls  are  stretched  beyond 
what  they  should  be,  so  that  when  there  is  large  demand 
for  force-producing  foods,  as  in  extremely  hard  labor,  it 
is  necessary  to  eat  mostly  dry  food,  and  to  increase  the 
proportion  of  fat  over  that  of  ordinary  diet. 

Each  person's  diet  should  be  adapted  to  his  or  her  par- 
ticular needs,  and  as  many  people  thrive  better  without 
meat,  it  would  be  well  for  those  to  pattern  their  dietaries 
after  the  following: 

4  to  6  ozs.  whole  wheat  bread,  corn  bread  or  dry  bis- 
cuits. 

3  to  5  ozs.  powdered  nuts. 

6  to  8  ozs.  milk. 

1/2  oz.  butter. 

6  ozs.  baked  apples  or  other  sweet  fruit. 

Milk,  eggs,  wheat  gluten,  peas,  beans  and  nuts,  must  be 
relied  on  to  furnish  tissue  food.  For  fats,  nut  meal,  nut 
butter,  cream  and  butter  are  to  be  preferred  to  meat  fats. 


DIETARIES  .  275 

The  cost  of  butter  and  cream  is  against  their  exchisive  use 
for  many  people,  but  it  is  probable  that  peanuts  will  be 
as  cheap  as  any  other  food.  It  is  mainly  a  question  of 
grinding  or  preparing  them. 

The  addition  of  fruits  and  green  vegetables  makes  no 
great  difference  in  the  amount  of  other  foods  required. 
In  eating  green  vegetables  that  contain  a  large  amount  of 
fiber,  regard  must  be  had  for  its  efifect  on  the  digestion 
of  other  food.  If  not  very  thoroughly  cooked  without  fat, 
then  chopped  fine  and  well  masticated,  such  food  may 
remain  in  the  stomach  for  several  hours,  until  decay  sets 
in. 

In  concluding  the  subject  of  dietaries,  the  authors 
would  have  their  readers  bear  in  mind  that  it  is  not  a 
subject  that  can  be  dealt  with  exactly  as  a  question  of 
ai-ithmetic.  Each  person  must  study  his  or  her  require- 
ments in  connection  with  the  general  properties  of  foods. 
Overeating  can  be  prevented  by  taking  what  food  is 
needed  at  one  meal  on  the  dishes,  and  then  quit  when  it  is 
eaten.  Do  not  make  a  fad  of  diet,  for  a  large  per  cent, 
of  the  common  ailments  exist  only  in  the  mind.  Keep 
dyspepsia,  and  all  thought  of  it  out  of  mind,  and  use  some 
common  sense  to  regulate  your  diet  and  habits,  and  all 
will  be  well. 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 
FOOD  ANALYSES. 

The  tables  of  food  analysis  here  given  are  made  up 
from  many  analyses,  from  many  sources,  but  mainly  from 
the  Ag-ricultural  Department  of  the  United  States: 

The  percentages  given  are  exclusive  of  waste  and  refuse. 


BEEF. 

Water. 

Protein. 

Fat.    Car- 
boliyt 

A-h. Calories 
rate       per  oz. 

Brisket  (med.  fat) 

47.4 

14.6 

37.2 

.08 

115 

Chuck  (lean) 

71.2 

19.9 

7.8 

1.1 

47 

(med.  fat) 

67.8 

19 

12.3 

.09 

44 

Chuck  Ribs  (lean) 

66.2 

18 

14.8 

1 

60 

(med.  fat) 

57.3 

17.4 

24.4 

.09 

85 

Flank  (lean) 

66.3 

17.7 

13 

.01 

55 

(med.  fat) 

59.8 

17.9 

21.5 

.08 

77 

Loin  (lean) 

67 

19 

12.7 

1 

56 

(med.  fat) 

60.5 

18.3 

20.2 

1 

74 

Sirloin  (lean) 

68.5 

19.8 

10.7 

1 

51 

(med.  fat) 

62.1 

19.7 

17.2 

1 

68 

Neck  (lean) 

50.4 

14.2 

5.7 

.07 

31 

(med.  fat) 

45.9 

13.9 

11.9 

.07 

47 

Ribs  (lean) 

67.9 

19.1 

12 

1 

54 

(med.  fat) 

55.4 

16.9 

26.8 

.09 

96 

Round  (lean) 

70.3 

20.9 

7.7 

1.1 

45 

(med.  fat) 

65.8 

19.7 

13.5 

1 

58 

Shank  (lean) 

71.5 

21.4 

6.1 

1 

41 

(med.  fat) 

67.9 

19.6 

11.6 

.09 

53 

Heart 

62.6 

16 

20.4  13 

;  1 

72 

Kidney 

76.7 

16.9 

4.8    4 

1.2 

33 

Liver 

66.9 

23.1 

5.7  3.5  1.5 

42 

Marrow 

3.3 

2.6 

92.8 

1.3 

248 

278  COMPOSITION  OF  FOODS 


Sweetbreads 

70.9 

15.4 

12.1 

1.6 

50 

Tallow 

15 

4.8 

79.9 

.03 

216 

CANNED  BEEF. 

Boiled 

51.8 

24.4 

22.5 

1.1 

88 

Corned,  cooked 

51-2 

25.9 

18.9 

4 

80 

Dried 

45.3 

40.1 

6.1 

12.6 

60 

Tongue 

51.3 

21.5 

23>.2 

4 

86 

It  will  be  well  to  bear  in  mind,  the  fuel  value  of  meat 
depends  mainly  on  the  amount  of  fat  it  contains,  but  that 
the  lean  meat  contains  some  fat  not  ordinarily  visible,  and 
that  fat  meat  contains  in  addition  to  its  visible  layers  ot 
fat,  a  great  deal  more  invisible  fat  than  lean  meat. 

The  per  cent,  of  waste  in  the  various  cuts  of  meat  is  not 
given,  because  no  one  has  made  any  record  of  how  much 
can  ordinarily  be  gotten  out  of  what  may  be  termed  waste. 
The  fore  shank  is  forty  per  cent,  bone  and  the  hind  shank 
fifty-five,  while  rib  has  about  twenty-five  per  cent  bone, 
loin  thirteen  per  cent.,  and  round  steak  about  six  per  cent, 
bone.  Fat  meat  is  likely  to  be  more  tender  than  lean,  but 
less  economical,  because  beef  fat  is  less  desirable  than 
many  other  fats. 


VEAL. 

Water. 

Protein. 

.    Fat.    Car 

-  Ash.Calories 

bohyc 

irate 

per  oz. 

Breast  (lean) 

70.3 

20.7 

8 

45 

(med.  fat) 

66.4 

18.8 

13.8 

58 

Flank  (med.  fat) 

68.9 

19.7 

10.4 

50 

Leg  (average 

72.4 

20.6 

5.9 

1.1 

40 

Loin  (average) 

69.2 

19.5 

10.2 

1.1 

50 

Rump 

62.6 

20.1 

16.2 

1.1 

66 

LAMB 

Breast 

56.2 

19.2 

23.6 

85 

Loin 

53.1 

17.6 

28.3 

95 

Shoulder 

51.8 

17.5 

29.7 

99 

COMPOSITION  OF  FOODS  279 

MUTTON 

Chuck  (med.  fat)  50.9  14.6  33.6  .9  106 

Flank  (med.  fat)  45.8  14.8  38.7  .7  119 

Leg  (med.  fat)  62.8  18.2  18  1  69 

Loin  (med.  fat)  50.1  15.9  33.2  .8  106 

POKK 

Chuck  ribs  and 

shoulder  51.1  16.9  31.2  .9  102 

Head  45.3  12.7  41.3  .7  124 

Loin  (average)  50.5  16.1  32.5  .9  104 

Shoulder  47.4  13.2  38.7  .7  118 

Tenderloin  65.1  19.5  14.4  1  61 

Ham,  fresh  62.8  18.5  17.7  1  74 

Ham,  smoked  (av.)  40.3  16.5  38.8  4.7  121 

Shoulder,  fresh  54.3  15.5  29.4  .8  94 
(California  Ham.) 

Shoulder  45  15.8  35.2  6.7  104 

Dry  salt  backs  17.3      7.2  72.7  2.8  200 

"'    "     belly  17.7       6.7  72.2  3.4  196 

Salt  pork  clear  fat  12.2      4.5  78.8  4.5  250 

Tongue  58.6  18  19.8  3.6  73 

Feet  68.2  16.1  14.8  .9  58 

Bacon,  lean  32.7  16.4  45.2  5.7  136 

Bacon,  fat  18.2  10  67.2  4.8  189 

SAUSAGE. 

Pork  sausage  38.7  12.8  46.6  1.8  136 

Bologna     "  59.5  18.6  18.2  2.6  70 

Frankfort  55.5  21.7  18.8  3.6  71 

POULTRY'. 

Chicken  74.2  22.8       1.8  1.2  31 

Goose  42.3  13  43.9  .8  131 

Turkey  55.5  20.6  22.9  1  84 

FISH. 

Black  bass  76.7  20.4       1.7  1.2  28 

Buffalo  78.6  17.9       2.3  1.2  27 


280  COMPOSITION  OF  FOODS. 


Perch 

75.7 

19.1 

4 

1.2 

23 

Wall  eyed  pike 

79.7 

18.4 

.5 

1.4 

23 

Pickerel 

79.8 

18.6 

.5 

1.1 

2? 

Red  snapper 

78.5 

19.2 

1 

1.3 

25 

Salmon 

65.2 

20.6 

12.8 

1.4 

58 

Shad 

70.6 

18.6 

9.5 

1.3 

43 

Sheepshead 

75.6 

19.5 

3.7 

1.2 

32 

Trout 

77.8 

18.9 

2.1 

1.2 

27 

Whitefish 

69.8 

22.1 

6.5 

1.6 

43 

Cod 

82.6 

15.8 

.4 

1.2 

19 

Eels,  salt  water 

71.6 

18.3 

9.1 

1 

45 

Flounder 

84.2 

13.9 

.6 

1.3 

18 

Herring 

72.5 

18.9 

7.1 

1.5 

41 

Mackerel 

73.4 

18.2 

7.1 

1.3 

40 

SHELL  FISH. 

Clams 

85.8 

8.6 

1 

2,6 

15 

Crabs,  hard 

77.1 

16.6 

2 

3.1 

26 

Lobster 

79.2 

16.4 

1.8 

2.2 

22 

Oyster,  as  sold 

88.3 

6.1 

1.4 

1 

15 

Terrapin 

74.5 

21 

3.5 

1 

34 

Turtle 

79.8 

18.5 

.5 

.3 

25 

Shrimps,  canned 

70.8 

25.4 

1 

2.6 

32 

The  viscera  of 

animals 

does  not  great]; 

V  vary 

in  compo- 

sition  from  that  of  the  animal  from  which  it  is  taken. 

Canned  or  preserved  meats  only  vary  as  water  and  salt 
are  added  or  extracted. 

The  canned  soups  sold  in  the  market  contain  from 
eighty-five  to  ninety-five  per  cent,  water,  and  from  two  to 
five  per  cent,  protein,  and  are  not  desirable  from  any 
dietetic  standpoint. 


EGGS. 

Water. 

Protein. 

Fat. 

Calories. 

White 

84.8 

12 

2 

Yolk 

51.5 

15 

30 

Average 

73.5 

14.9 

10.6 

45 

COMPOSITION  OF  FOODS 


281 


The  shells  of  eggs 

average  abc 

)ut  ten 

per  cent,  of 

total 

weight. 

MILK. 

Water.    Protein 

Fat. 

1 

Carbo-  Ash.    C 

ivdrate. 

'alories 

Milk,  Average 

87        3.3 

4 

'  5 

.7 

20 

Skimmed,  average 

90.5     3.4 

.3 

5.1 

.7 

11 

Buttermilk 

91        3 

.5 

4.8 

.7 

10 

Condensed  milk 

30.5    8.2 

7.1 

52.3 

1.9 

89 

Cream 

74        2.5 

18.5 

4.5 

.5 

57 

Butter 

14.6     1 

82.4 

217 

CHEESE. 

Cheese,  whole  milk 

33.7  26 

34.2 

2.3 

3.8 

123 

"       skim  milk 

45.7  31.5 

16.4 

2.2 

4.2 

82 

Pineapple  cheese 

23      29.9 

38.9 

2.6 

5.6 

140 

Limburger     " 

42.1  24 

29.4 

.4 

4.1 

105 

Gelatine 

13.6  84.2 

.1 

2.1 

98 

Isinglass,  Sturgeon 

19      77-4 

1.6 

' 

2 

94 

Tallow 

100 

264 

Lard,  refined 

100 

264 

Cottolene 

100 

264 

Oleomargarine 

9.3     1.3 

82.7 

6.7 

2:0 

CEREALS. 

Water.    Proteii 

a       Fat. 

Carbo- 
hydrate. 

Ash.    < 

Calories 

Flour,  fme 

13.8    7.9 

1.4 

76.4 

.5 

*102 

Entire  wheat  flour 

12.1  14.2 

1.9 

7O.6 

1.2 

104 

Graham 

11.8  13.7 

2.2 

70. 1 

2 

104 

Low  grade  flour 

11.4  13.9 

2.6 

7O.8 

1.3 

105 

Spring  wheat 

11.6  11.8 

1.1 

75 

.5 

104 

Winter  wheat 

12.5  10.4 

1 

75 

.5 

104 

Crushed  wheat 

10.5  11.9 

1.7 

74 

1.4 

105 

Macaroni  Vermicelli 

10.8  11.7 

1.7 

72.9 

3 

102 

Barley  meal 

11.9  10.5 

2.2 

72.8 

2.6 

102 

Pearl  barley- 

10.8    9.3 

1 

77.6 

1.3 

104 

Buckwheat  flour 

14.3    6.1 

1 

77.2 

1.4 

99 

Corn  meal,  bolted 

15        9.2 

3.8 

7O.6 

1 

103 

.6 

78.9 

.4 

103 

5.6 

71.4 

1.4 

109 

.5 

70.7 

1.3 

117 

7.3 

68 

1.9 

116 

7.2 

66.8 

1.9 

116 

.4 

79 

.4 

102 

.1 

49.1 

.3 

55 

.9 

78.5 

.8 

102 

282  COMPOSITION  OF  FOODS 

Hominy  11.9    8.2 

Pop  corn  10.8  12.3 

Pop  corn,  popped  4.3  10,7 

Oat  meal  7.2  15.6 

Rolled  oats  11.2  16.7 

Rice  12.4     7.8 

Boiled  rice  52.7     5 

Rye  flour  12.7    7.1 

Reported  analysis  of  Southern  corn  shows  a  very  high 
per  cent,  of  protein — so  high  in  fact,  and  so  different  from 
the  authors,  that  we  refrain  from  publishing  any  analysis 
until  we  have  more  convincing  data. 

We  regret  that  we  have  not  more  accurate  knowledge 
as  to  the  per  cent,  of  cellulose  or  indigestible  part  of  the 
various  cereal  foods.  It  appears  that  fine  white  flour  has 
less  than  one  per  cent,  of  cellulose;  rice  about  three  per 
cent;  oat  meal  four  per  cent,;  and  corn  meal  five  per 
cent.;  and  that  the  entire  grain  of  wheat,  rye  and  corn 
contains  a  still  larger  per  cent,  of  cellulose. 


CEREALS. 

Water.    Protein 

.      Fat. 

Carbo- 
hydrate 

Ash.    Calorie! 

White  bread 

35.4     9.5 

1.2 

52.8 

1.1 

75 

Graham 

32.3    8.5 

1.8 

55.9 

1.5 

80 

Rye 

31.8  10.1 

.7 

55.9 

1.5 

76 

Biscuit 

22.9    9.3 

13.7 

1.5 

108 

Coffee  Cake 

30.1     8.6 

6.6 

58.9 

.8 

90 

Drop         " 

16.6    7.6 

14.7 

60.3 

.8 

117 

Sponge     " 

11.6    6.5 

9.6 

70.3 

2 

114 

Butter  crackers 

6.9     9.2 

13.6 

69.4 

.9 

127 

Graham     " 

5        9.8 

13.6 

69.7 

1.9 

128 

Oat  meal  " 

4.9  10.4 

13.7 

69.6 

1.4 

129 

Oyster 

4.3  11. 

8.8 

74.2 

1.7 

122 

Soda 

8.     10.3 

9.4 

70.5 

1.8 

119 

Doughnuts 

17.9    6.6 

21.9 

52.6 

1. 

126 

COMPOSITION  OF  FOODS 


283 


Apple  pie  43.2    3.3      9.8    41.7     2.         78 

Custard  62.4    4.2      6.3    26.1     1.         52 

Tapioca  pudding  61.8     3.6      3.7     30.         .9      49 

It  will  be  well  to  remember  that  the  composition  of 
bread,  crackers  and  pastry  vary  greatly,  according  to  the 
amount  of  butter,  lard,  sugar,  eggs,  milk  and  other  in- 
gredients that  may  be  added. 

VEGETABLES. 


Artichokes 

79.5 

2.6 

.2 

16.7 

1. 

23 

Asparagus 

94. 

1.8 

.2 

3.3 

.7 

7 

Beans,  dried 

13.2  22.3 

1.8 

59.1 

3.6 

99 

"       Lima 

11.1 

15.9 

1.8 

67. 

4.1 

101 

"       string 

87.3 

2.2 

.4 

9.4 

.7 

13 

Beets 

87.6 

1.1 

.1 

9.6 

1.1 

13 

Cabbage 

90.3 

2.1 

.4 

5.8 

1.4 

10 

Carrots 

88.2 

1.1 

.4 

9.2 

1.1 

13 

Cauliflower 

90.8 

1.6 

.8 

6. 

.8 

11 

Celery 

94.4 

1.4 

.1 

3. 

1.1 

5 

Green  corn 

81.3 

2.8 

1.1 

14.1 

.7 

22 

Cucumber 

96. 

.8 

.2 

2.5 

.5 

4 

Egg  plant 

92.9 

1.2 

.3 

5. 

,5 

8 

Greens 

•       82.9 

3.8 

.9 

8.9 

3,5 

17 

Kohlrabi 

91.1 

2. 

.1 

5.5 

1.3 

9 

Leeks 

91.8 

1.2 

.5 

5.8 

.7 

9 

Lentiles 

10.7 

26. 

1.5 

58,6 

3.2 

102 

Lettuce 

94. 

1.3 

.4 

3.3 

1. 

7 

Okra 

87.4 

2. 

.4 

9.5 

.7 

14 

Onions 

87.3 

1.7 

.4 

9.9 

.7 

15 

Parsnips 

79.9 

1.7 

.6 

16.1 

1.7 

22 

Peas 

10.8  24.1 

1.1 

61.5 

2.2 

103 

Peas,  green 

78.1 

4.4 

.5 

16.1 

.9 

25 

Pickles 

89. 

.5 

.5 

5.4 

4.6 

8 

Potatoes,  boiled 

73.7 

2,7 

.2 

22.3 

1.4 

30 

284  COMPOSITION  OF  FRUIT 


Potatoes,  raw 

78.9 

2.1 

.1 

18. 

.9 

24 

"       sweet 

69.3 

1.8 

.7 

27.1 

1.1 

35 

Pumpkins 

93.1 

1. 

.1 

5.2 

.6 

Radishes 

90.8 

1.4 

.1 

6.6 

1.1 

10 

Rhubarb 

94.4 

.6 

.7 

Z.6 

.7 

7 

Ruta-bagas 

88.7 

1.3 

.2 

8.5 

1.1 

12 

Sour  krout 

86.3 

1.5 

.8 

4.4 

7. 

9 

Spinach 

92.4 

2.1 

.5 

3.1 

1.9 

7 

Squash 

86.5 

1.6 

.6 

10.4 

.9 

15 

Tomatoes 

94.4 

.8 

.4 

3.9 

.5 

If 

Turnips 

88.9 

1.4 

.2 

8.7 

.8 

U 

Beets,  potatoes,  cucumbers  lose  from  15  to  20^  in  peel- 
ing. 

Turnips,  radishes,  ruta-bagas  lose  30^  in  peeling. 

Rhubarb,  AOfc.     In  peas  and  beans  .50^  loss  in  pods. 

These  tables  do  not  clearly  indicate  the  food  value  of 
the  various  vegetables.  It  would  appear  that  pickles  have 
one-fifth  the  food  value  of  potatoes,  while  in  fact  the 
nutriment  in  them  is  not  readily  available,  and  they  have 
practically  no  food  value  at  all,  as  they  are  not  sufficiently 
soluble  to  be  of  use  for  waste.  Nearly  all  the  green 
vegetables,  with  the  exception  of  potatoes,  have  a  large 
amount  of  indigestible  fiber,  but  experiments  have  not 
been  sufficiently  extensive  to  give  reliable  percentages  as 
to  how  much  indigestible  waste  the  various  vegetables 
contain,  but  it  may  be  assumed  that  celery  contains  from 
two  to  three  per  cent;  turnips  and  onions,  exclusive  of  peel, 
two  per  cent;  cabbage  and  beets,  three  per  cent;  carrots 
and  artichokes,  four  per  cent.;  green  and  string  beans, 
four  to  five  per  cent. 

The  husk  or  bran  (not  pods)  of  peas  and  beans  amount 
to  about  five  per  cent,  and  correspond  to  the  bran  envelope 
of  wheat,  but  as  the  legumes  are  from  ten  to  twenty  times 


COMPOSITION  OF  FRUIT  285 


as  rich  a>  nios 

t  of  the 

green 

vegc 

tables, 

the  indigos 

;tiblc 

part  is  rclarivol 

y  small. 

FuriT. 

Water. 

Protein. 

Fat, 

Oarbo- 

Acid     A 

Lsh.    Calories 

livilr.ite. 

Apples 

82. 

.5 

.5 

16.6 

1.2 

.4 

21 

Apricots 

83. 

1.1 

13.4 

1.2 

.5 

17 

Bananas  (yel.)  71.1 

1.2 

.8 

22.9 

1, 

30 

Black  berries 

88.9 

.9 

2.1 

7.5 

1.2 

.6 

16 

Cherries 

86.1 

1.1 

.8 

11.4 

.9 

.6 

17 

Cranberries 

89. 

.5 

.7 

10.1 

.2 

14 

Currant 

84.7 

.5 

11. 

2.15 

.7 

17 

Figs 

79.1 

1.5 

17.4 

1.4 

.6 

24 

Grapes 

78.8 

1.3 

1.7 

16.2 

1. 

.5 

27 

Gooseberries 

86. 

.4 

4.6 

1.5 

Lemons 

89.3 

1. 

.9 

8.3 

.5 

13 

Muskmelons 

89.5 

.6 

4.6 

.6 

49 

Nectarines 

82.9 

.9 

.6 

15.9 

.6 

19 

Oranges 

88.3 

.8 

.6 

7. 

2.44 

.6 

14 

Peaches 

84.5 

.5 

14.2 

.9 

.8 

19 

Pears 

83.9 

.6 

.8 

14.2 

.2 

.5 

19 

Pine  apples 

89.3 

.4 

.3 

9.7 

.3 

12 

Plums 

79. 

.5 

18.5 

1.50 

.5 

24 

Prunes 

80.2 

.8 

18.5 

,5 

22 

Raspberries 

85.8 

1. 

12.6 

1.38 

.6 

16 

Strawberries 

90.9 

1. 

" 

6.8 

1.5 

,6 

11 

Watermelons 

92.9 

.3 

.1 

6.5 

.2 

8 

Whortleberries  82.4 

.7 

3. 

13.5 

.4 

24 

DRIED  FRUITS. 

Apples 

36.2 

1.4 

3.0 

57.6 

1.8 

78 

Apricots 

32.4 

2.9 

63,3 

1.4 

78 

Currants, Zante  27.9 

1.2 

3. 

65.7 

2.2 

86 

Dates 

20.8 

2.2 

5.1 

70.4 

1.5 

97 

Figs 

22.5 

5.1 

70. 

2.4 

87 

Grapes 

34.8 

2.9 

.6 

60.5 

1.2 

79 

286  COMPOSITION  OF  FRUIT 


Prunes                 26.4 

2.4 

.8 

68.9 

1.5 

85 

Raisins                 14. 

2.5 

4.7 

74.7 

4.1 

102 

NUTS. 

Chestnuts,fresh38.5 

6.9 

8. 

44.9 

1.7 

71 

Peanuts                 9.2 

25.8 

38.6 

24.4 

2. 

160 

Cocoanuts           46.6 

5.5 

35.7 

11. 

1. 

115 

Filberts,  fresh    48. 

8.4 

28.5 

13.6 

1.5 

Walnuts              45.5 

12.5 

31.6 

9.9 

1.7 

The  amount  of  sugar  and  acid  varies  greatly  even  in  the 
same  variety  of  fruit.  The  food  value  of  fruits  is  mainly 
dependent  upon  the  gum  called  pectose,  and  fruit  sugar 
it  contains.  It  is  to  be  regretted  that  our  present  method 
of  analyzing  fruits,  does  not  give  satisfactory  results  as  to 
the  acids  they  contain.  The  very  sour  fruits,  like  the 
lemon  and  lime,  have  practically  no  food  value  for  either 
fuel  or  tissue,  but  very  great  value  for  their  acids.  They 
must  be  regarded  as  cleansing  agents.  Most  all  fruits  are 
more  or  less  so. 


PART  II. 

CHAPTER  XXIV. 

IDIOSYNCRASIES. 

Idiosyncrasy  is  a  peculiarity,  in  which  one  person  is  in 
some  way  affected  in  a  different  manner,  under  the  same 
conditions,  from  ordinary  people.  It  is  applied  to  foods 
when  there  is  a  great  dislike  to  some  particular  food,  or 
where  some  particular  food  exerts  an  effect  entirely  for- 
eign to  what  it  usually  produces.  Idiosyncrasia  is  the 
term  applied  to  peculiarities  of  smell.  Both  are  closely 
related  in  their  effects,  and  have  not  been  given  sufificient 
attention  in  their  relation  to  health  and  disease.  We  are 
led  to  do  so,  because  many  people  believe  that  individual 
peculiarities  are  so  great  that  knowledge  of  food  is  of  little 
or  no  use.  If  any  of  our  readers  take  such  a  view,  we 
have  a  troublesome  question  to  ask:  What  makes  the 
peculiarities?  At  first  thought  most  people  will  say  that 
they  are  "born  that  way;"  but  suppose  we  go  farther  and 
ask  why  people  are  born  with  idiosyncrasies?  Do  they 
come  from  some  unknown  realm ,  or  are  they  transmitted 
characteristics?  Here  is  the  real  key.  Transmitted  pe- 
culiarities w^ere  at  some  time  acquired,  and  every  one 
knows  that  acquired  peculiarities  are  mainly  due  to  habits 
or  education.  Who  can  doubt  that  if  an  American  child 
a  few  months  old,  was  taken  to  the  heart  of  China,  and 
reared  as  a  Chinaman,  but  what  it  would  eat  substantially 
the  same  foods  as  the  Chinese?  This  fact  has  so  often 
been  illustrated  by  taking  children  from  civilization  to 


288  IDIOSYNCRASIES 

barbarism,  and  barbarism  to  civilization,  that  it  strongly 
tends  to  disprove  the  belief  that  people  are  "born  that 
way."  Take  an  illustration  from  the  lower  animals.  A 
Texas  cow  or  Texas  pony  that  never  saw  corn  will  not 
eat  it  when  first  ofifered,  but  can  easily  be  trained  to  do  so. 
Idiosyncrasies  are  either  mainly  acquired  by  habit  or 
are  the  heritage  of  ancestral  habits.  A  small  per  cent,  are 
doubtless  due  to  some  strong  mental  impressions  made 
upon  the  individual  or  upon  the  mother  while  carrying  her 
unborn  child.  A  careful  study  of  the  subject  leads  us  to 
believe  that  idiosyncrasies  toward  food  might  properly  be 
divided  into  three  classes: 

1.  Those  that  are  physiological. 

2.  Those  that  are  due  to  habit. 

3.  Those  that  are  due  to  mental  impressions. 

It  must  not  be  understood  that  individuals  always  mani- 
fest either  of  these  independent  of  the  others ;  for  doubtless 
many  have  peculiarities  about  what  they  eat,  which  may 
be  due  to  either  or  all  the  causes  mentiv)ned.  The  physio- 
logical idiosyncrasies  are  due  to  inability  to  digest  certain 
foods,  so  that,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  most  idiosyncrasies  of 
which  we  take  notice,  are  not  idiosyncrasies  at  all,  but 
irregular  physiological  action.  Upon  this  we  predicate 
the  declaration,  that  one  food  will  agree  with  one  person 
as  well  as  with  another  person  under  the  same  conditions. 
This  sweeps  away  the  notion  that  people's  peculiarities 
make  it  useless  to  study  food.  It  really  does  more;  it 
proves  the  great  importance  of  such  study,  because  when 
we  know  why  foods  disagree,  and  the  properties  of  foods, 
we  will  know  why  tliey  agree  at  one  time  and  disagree 
at  another.  The  stomach  that  secretes  but  little  acid,  will 
poorly  tolerate  large  quantities  of  lean  meat,  and  such  a 
diet  will  produce  a  feeling  of  weight  in  the  stomach  en- 
tirely independent  of  any  gaseous  fermentation.     Those 


IDIOSYNCRASIES  289 

who  have  an  excess  of  acid  will  be  distressed  when  tlu^y 
eat  starchy  foods,  especially  bread,  potatoes,  beans,  etc. 
Such  persons  say  they  cannot  live  without  meat,  and  when 
they  do  not  have  it  they  always  feel  hungry,  for  the  rea- 
son that  they  cannot  digest  starch.  This  is  the  most  seri- 
ous indigestion.  Some  physicians  confound  acid  secretion 
with  acid  fermentation.  Sour  stomachs  and  heartburn  are 
most  common  where  the  gastric  secretions  are  weak  and 
do  not  call  for  a  meat  diet,  as  many  suppose,  but  an  asep- 
tic (not  readily  fermentable)  one.  Lack  of  ability  to  digest 
certain  foods,  indicates  physical  abnormality.  Examples 
might  be  multiplied  wherein  various  foods  agree  or  disa- 
gree, depending  upon  the  needs  of  the  system,  the  activity 
of  the  stomach,  and  the  condition  of  the  intestines,  pan- 
creas and  liver.  It  may  also  depend  upon  the  blood  at 
the  time  the  food  was  eaten.  If  the  blood  be  laden  with 
eflfete  matter  and  poor  in  quality,  because  of  a  previous 
unsuitable  diet,  the  general  tone  of  the  digestive  organs 
will  be  impaired.  All  of  these  are  factors  which  make  it 
difficult  to  determine  what  agrees  and  what  disagrees.  And 
people  are  often  mistaken  about  their  supposed  peculiari- 
ties, but  as  the  incompatibilities  of  foods  and  weakness  of 
digestion  have  been  previously  discussed,  the  idiosyncra- 
sies due  to  habit  will  be  most  interesting.  Nothing  more 
5trongly  illustrates  the  effect  of  habit  than  the  universal 
fondness  for  foods  "like  mother  used  to  make."  This  is 
one  of  the  strongest  traits  in  human  character  and  empha- 
sizes the  extraordinary  importance  of  proper  home  train- 
ing. The  habits  of  early  life  seem  to  be  interwoven  with 
every  fiber  of  our  existence,  and  while  there  is  no  one  in 
this  world  so  revered  as  she  wHb  gave  us  birth;  no  name 
so  dear  as  that  of  mother;  yet  it  is  distressing  to  realize 
that  disease  and  death-producing  habits  are  not  less  de- 
structive because  made  familiar  to  us  by  her  hands.  When 


290  IDIOSYNCRASIES 

mothers  realize  their  obhg-ations  to  their  children,  they 
will  not  cultivate  appetites  and  tastes  for  foods  that  are  in 
eflfect  the  same  as  murder.  Most  idiosyncrasies  of  habit 
are  due  to  ignorance  about  foods.  Could  anything-  better 
illustrate  this  than  some  of  the  ridiculous  notions  people 
have  about  what  they  eat?  Let  us  consider  a  few  of  them: 
Oatmeal.  , 

Some  people  say  that  oatmeal  sticks  to  the  stomach; 
others,  that  it  is  too  heavy  and  unfit  for  food  in  hot 
weather;  while  still  others  declare  that  long  cooking  makes 
it  ''slimy"  and  not  fit  to  eat. 

Bread. 
]\Iost  Americans  think  that  no  bread  is  fit  to  eat,  except 
fresh,  doughy  bread,  loaf  or  biscuit. 
Tea  and  Coffee, 
That  only  excessive  whisky  drinkers  are  inebriates,  and 
that  tea  and  colTee  are  good  nerve  tonics  and  strengthen 
the  system. 

Celery. 
That  it  is  a  brain  and  nerve  food. 

Soup. 
That  it  is  particularly  wholesome  and  nourishing. 

Pickles. 
That  they  are  eaten  by  people  when  in  love  and  are 
good  for  young  girls  and  "old  girls." 
Prunes. 
That  they  are  very  laxative  or  cause  diarrhoea. 

Tomatoes. 
That  they  cause  cancer  and  are  good  food  for  children. 

Popcorn. 
That  it  is  wholesome  as  ordinarily  eaten. 

Fried  Meats. 
That  thev  are  fit  to  eat. 


IDIOSYNCRASIES  291 

Radishes. 

That  they  aid  digestion  and  act  on  the  Hver. 
Ice  Drinks  at  Meals. 

Tliat  they  cool  the  system  and  aid  digestion. 
Condiments. 

That  they  are  beneficial. 

Green  Corn. 

That  it  is  healthful  for  human  beings  and  bad  for  swine. 
Alcohol  and  Beer. 

That  it  increases  strength  and  adds  to  the  general  well- 
being  of  the  imbiber. 

What  can  be  expected  of  people  who  are  governed  by 
such  expansive  ignorance? 

By  way  of  parenthesis  and  confidential  advice  to  dys- 
peptics, we  might  add,  that  if  their  attacks  do  not  come 
often  enough  they  should  eat  lobster  salad,  ice  cream  and 
rich  cake  between  10  p.  m.  and  1  a.  m.  If  you  expect  the 
arrival  of  your  family  physician,  a  good  meal  of  cucum- 
bers, vinegar,  milk  and  ice  water,  will  very  likely  make 
you  glad  to  see  him.  If  habits  were  not  so  pernicious  and 
far-reaching  in  their  effects,  idiosyncrasies  would  not  be 
worth  considering;  but  as  many  people's  lives  are  spent 
nmning  from  or  running  after  their  idiosyncrasies,  it  is 
time  that  attention  should  be  given  to  the  causes  which 
wreck  so  many  lives.  Parents  should  first  purge  them- 
selves of  their  suicidal  habits  and  then  start  their  children 
right.  A  generation  or  two  ago,  when  disease-breeding 
luxuries  were  not  so  easily  obtained,  children  were  reared 
with  a  view  of  becoming  strong,  able-bodied  men  and  wo- 
men, who  could  assist  in  building  homes;  now,  children 
to  a  great  extent  command  the  obedience  of  their  parents 
in  all  their  whims  and  follies.  Parents  are  the  guardians 
of  posterity,  and  no  language  is  strong  enough  to  portray 
the  misery  which  results  from  improper  feeding.     A  diet 


292  IDIOSYNCRASIES 

mainly  composed  of  sweet-meats  and  highly-spiced  foods 
so  perverts  the  nerves  of  taste,  that  plain,  wholesome  food 
is  too  tasteless  or  disagreeable.  The  result  is  that  sooner 
or  later  the  effects  of  such  habits  bring  disease,  and  then 
they  bewail  their  misfortune  as  a  curse  from  God  or 
Satan,  whereas,  it  is  the  curse  of  personal  and  parental 
folly.  The  first  step  towards  reform  is  sensible  cooking; 
and  then  parents  must  see  that  their  children  eat  a  suitable 
variety  of  foods.  We  have  often  seen  children  make  a 
meal  on  canned  tomatoes,  also  on  fried  eggs  and  fried 
meat,  corned  beef,  bananas,  green  corn,  raspberries,  pick- 
les and  cake.  Children  are  often  allowed  to  pepper  their 
food  until  black  and  then  cover  with  strong  mustard. 
The  effects  of  allowing  cliildren  to  have  what  they  wished, 
as  mentioned,  varied  from  "unwell'  to  death.  The  great- 
est obstacles  to  health  is  pampered  appetites.  People  will 
not  eat  what  they  do  not  like,  no  matter  what  the  conse- 
quences. Some  people  urge  this  as  an  objection  to  the 
study  of  foods;  but  it  really  only  emphasizes  its  importance. 
When  will  people  like  what  will  keep  them  healthy  and 
strong?  The  answer  is  simple:  It  will  be  when  they  are 
taught  to  eat  wholesome  foods  in  their  childhood.  Here 
is  the  strong  point  we  make :  People  cannot  form  correct 
habits  as  to  what  and  how  to  eat  until  they  know  the  prop- 
erties of  foods  and  how  to  prepare  them.  Disease  and 
death  have  been  accepted  as  the  inevitable,  with  barely 
a  thought  about  individual  responsibility.  Children  are 
sent  to  school  that  they  may  be  trained  for  the  duties  of 
life,  but  the  most  important  thing  is  neglected,  or  taught 
in  a  way  to  be  of  very  little  practical  benefit.  What  is 
the  use  to  train  the  mind  while  the  body  is  being  killed? 
The  proper  use  of  food  must  in  time  hold  the  highest 
place  in  education,  both  In  the  home  and  at  school.  The 
value  of  moral  and  religious  training  is  partly  realized,  but 


IDIOSYNCRASIES  293 

the  religious  world  is  in  almost  total  darkness  about  the 
relation  between  the  physical  and  the  moral  life.  Moral- 
it}^  cannot  be  high  when  the  tone  of  the  body  is  low. 
Immorality  is  largely  due  to  physical  or  nervous  propen- 
sities that  are  either  inherited  or  due  to  the  violation  of 
Nature's  laws. 

If  reformers  will  give  two-thirds  of  their  labor  to  teach- 
ing people  the  way  to  a  perfect  physical  life,  the  other  third 
will  have  ten  times  the  results  towards  the  moral  and 
spiritual  regeneration  of  the  race. 

The  third  class  of  idiosyncrasies  are  not  so  common, 
but  much  more  difficult  to  overcome.  These  are  both 
pre-natal  and  post-natal  impressions.  The  action  of  the 
human  mind  is  one  of  the  most  unexplainable  things  of 
nature.  Its  freaks  and  variations  are  unlimited,  and  are 
to  be  observed  outside,  as  well  as  inside  of  lunatic  asylums. 
The  influence  of  the  mind  over  the  body  is  so  great  that 
a  very  enthusiastic  religious  order  undertake  to  heal  all 
diseases  by  faith,  w'hich  is,  in  fact,  a  mind  cure.  Some 
physicians  estimate  that  forty  per  cent,  of  the  ordinary 
diseases  exist  only  in  the  imagination,  and  the  success  of 
the  faith  healers  and  hypnotists  would  seem  to  give  strong 
support  to  the  view  that  a  large  per  cent,  have  no  othei 
existence.  It  is  reported  that  there  is  an  mstitution  in 
Paris  where  sham  surgical  operations  are  performed  on 
those  who  think  that  nothing  else  will  cure  them.  It  is 
said  that  the  patient  is  given  an  anaesthetic,  a  scratch  and 
a  few  stitches,  and  is  then  cured.  Very  amusing  instances 
of  liow  the  mind  is  affected  are  reported  from  time  to 
time,  and  as  an  apt  illustration  of  wdiat  imagination  will 
do,  let  me  report  what  the  doctor  declares  actually  hap- 
pened: 

"One  evening,  about  seven  o'clock,  I  received  a  tele- 
phone call  to  come  to  X.'s  at  once;  that  he  had  a  fish 


294  IDIOSYNCRASIES 

bone  in  his  throat  and  was  about  to  die.  I  immediately 
gathered  what  instruments  I  thought  might  be  needed 
and  hastened  to  X.'s  residence,  and  found  him  lying  flat 
on  the  floor,  writhing  in  agony  and  blue  from  holding  his 
breath,  because  of  his  fear  that  breathing  would  draw  the 
bone  further  down  his  throat.  The  family  were  wailing 
and  hysterical,  and  were  under  the  belief  that  the  head  of 
the  household  was  about  to  pass  over.  Upon  inquiry  I 
found  that  the  patient  had  eaten  fish  and  dry  toast,  and 
after  a  careful  examination,  nothing  was  discoverable  ex- 
cept a  slight  scratch  on  one  of  his  tonsils,  probably  made 
by  the  toast.  After  a  moment's  reflection,  I  concluded 
that  it  was  necessary  to  relieve  the  patient's  mind,  so  I 
told  him  I  would  remove  the  bone  in  a  moment;  and,  un- 
der pretext  of  sterilizing  my  instruments,  went  to  the 
kitchen  and  got  a  fish  bone,  fixed  it  in  the  instrument 
and  went  through  the  motions  as  if  to  remove  the  bone, 
pricked  the  tonsil  slightly,  withdrew  the  instrument  and 
held  up  the  supposed  ofifender.  The  effect  was  magical; 
and,  after  looking  at  the  bone  and  taking  two  or  three 
swallows  of  water  to  see  that  all  was  clear,  he  declared 
that  the  relief  he  experienced  was  something  remarkable." 
Physicians  often  cure  by  suggestion,  as  illustrated  by 
the  experience  of  another  physician.  One  of  his  female 
patients  had  a  chill  every  day  at  eleven  o'clock.  After 
treating  her  for  several  days  without  apparent  benefit,  he 
concluded  that  it  was  more  hysterical  than  anything  else; 
so  he  told  the  patient  that  he  would  have  to  give  her  an 
extraordinary  remedy;  that  it  was  very  dangerous  if  not 
used  just  right,  but  that  it  could  not  possibly  fail  to  stop 
the  chill.  The  doctor  then  gave  her  a  small  bottle  of 
water  and  instructed  her  to  take  it  exactly  ten  minutes  be- 
fore eleven — the  time  the  chill  usually  began.  The  doctor 
took  particular  pains  to  imipress  the  patient  with  the  fact 


IDIOSYNCRASIES  29S> 

that  she  could  not  possibly  have  another  ciiill — and  she 
didn't. 

Repugnance  to  certain  foods  is  often  due  to  mental  im- 
pressions. We  know  a  cultured  gentleman,  who  is  nause- 
ateil  at  the  sight  of  a  raw  oyster.  He  explains  his  pecu- 
liarity in  this  way:  When  he  was  about  ten  years  old  he 
made  his  first  trip  to  a  seacoast  town  where  oysters  were 
plentiful.  Now,  to  an  unsophisticated  country  youth,  a 
raw  oyster  is  certainly  a  slimy,  repulsive  looking  object, 
and  at  first  sight,  to  sec  a  man  gulp  down  big,  slimy- 
loolcing  oysters,  made  such  a  nauseating  impression  on 
him  that  he  cannot  to  this  day  tolerate  raw  oysters,  al- 
though the  incident  occurred  more  than  fifty  years  ago. 

One  of  the  most  noticeable  effects  of  pre-natal  influ- 
ences is  a  man  who  constantly  appears  as  if  drunk,  al- 
though he  does  not  use  alcoholic  liquor  at  all.  He  has 
ordinary  intelligence  and  physical  vigor.  His  peculiar  con- 
dition is  due  to  his  mother's  fright  during  gestation,  at 
some  threatened  danger  from  a  drunken  man. 

A  frequently-observed  physiological  perversion  of  the 
ajypetite  is  that  which  so  often  occurs  during  the  period 
of  gestation.  During  this  time  there  is  often  a  vague 
longing  for  some  special  article  of  food  to  which  the  per- 
son may  or  may  not  have  been  accustomed,  e.  g.,  ice 
cream,  etc.,  and  occasionally  this  desire  extends  to  un- 
wholesome articles  of  food,  as  decaying  fruit,  and  even 
to  substances  not  used  for  food,  e.  g.,  coffee  grounds  and 
even  dirt. 

These  perversions  may  be  very  distressing,  especially  it 
the  particular  article  desired  cannot  be  obtained. 

In  contrast  with  the  perverted  desire,  we  have  aversion 
to  certain  foods  which  previous  to  the  advent  of  gestation 
had  been  liked.  These  likes  and  dislikes,  to  some  degree, 
may  be  transmitted  to  the  offspring.     On  account  of  the 


296  IDIOSYNCRASIA 

possible  effect  upon  the  child,  the  mother  should,  so  far 
as  possible,  avoid  anxiety  concerning  any  peculiar  ten- 
dencies of  the  appetite  which  may  arise,  and  confine  her- 
self to  the  usual  diet  to  which  she  is  accustomed,  if  it  be 
wholesome. 

A  discussion  of  pre-natal  influences  would  make  a  vol- 
ume of  itself,  and  a  good  understanding  of  the  subject  is 
necessary  for  race-elevation.  The  object  of  all  that  has 
here  been  presented  is  to  show  that  we  are  largely  creatures 
of  whmis  and  accident,  and  that  the  mind  can  be  trained 
to  govern  appetite  and  throw  off  disease.  Very  strong 
mental  impressions  can  usually  only  be  removed  by  hyp- 
notic suggestion,  but  ordinarily  our  likes  and  dislikes  can 
be  controlled  by  the  will.  The  appetite  for  celery  is  ac- 
quired, as  very  few  grown  people  will  eat  celery  the  first 
time  it  is  offered.  People  are  certain  to  dislike  whatever 
they  make  up  their  minds  that  they  won't  like,  and  can 
easily  learn  to  like  anything  the  same  way.  We  know  a 
boy  who  was  given  pills  in  peach  preserves,  and  it  was 
years  before  he  could  disassociate  them.  It  is  very  non- 
sensical to  cultivate  a  dislike  for  foods  because  their  ap- 
pearance does  not  always  please  our  vision. 

An  unnatural  or  perverted  sense  of  smell  is  not  so 
common  as  that  of  taste,  but  it  is  more  annoying.  The 
causes  are  much  the  same  as  idiosyncrasy,  except  that 
disease  is  more  of  a  factor.  Errors  in  diet  often  cause 
nausea,  vomiting  and  fainting,  which,  in  turn,  may  affect 
the  sense  of  smell  and  create  a  disgust  for  food,  and  in- 
crease the  iirness  for  the  want  of  it.  Strong  extracts  of 
cologne  will  often  bring  on  attacks  of  dizziness  and  ver- 
tigo, and  the  odor  of  flowers  frequently  excite  violent 
attacks  of  hay  fever.  The  odor  of  the  oleander  has  been 
known  to  create  a  disgust  for  flowers  that  never  could  be 
overcome.     The  ancients  well  knew  the  influence  of  flow- 


IDIOSYNCRASIA  297 

ers,  and  they  were  used  as  a  potent  aid  in  love,  intrigue 
and  even  crime.  Tube  roses  have  been  known  to  produce 
melancholy  to  a  degree  of  wild  insanity,  and  it  can  I)c 
truly  said  of  them  that  they  are  hardly  less  sad  than  beau- 
tiful. Almost  every  person  dislikes  one  or  more  foods, 
because  of  the  odor  produced.  When  the  smell  of  any 
particular  food  or  all  foods  give  offense,  the  odor  arising 
from  cooking  should  carefully  be  avoided,  and  if  neces- 
sary the  meals  should  be  eaten  in  the  open  air.  A  great 
deal  can  be  accomplished  by  firmness.  Most  horses  will 
not  eat  pumkin  until  starved  to  it.  The  method  is  very 
simple;  the  horse  is  put  in  the  s.table  and  pumkins  in  the 
feed-box.  No  other  food  or  drink  is  given  until  the 
pumkins  are  eaten,  and  ever  afterward  the  pumpkins  are 
as  well  relished  as  oats.  \Ye  are  not  prepared  to  advo- 
cate this  method  as  an  aid  to  the  correction  of  a  perverted 
sense  of  taste  or  smell,  but  we  do  know  that  hunger  makes 
great  changes  in  our  tolerance  of  food.  This  is  illustrated 
by  a  gentleman  who  took  a  long  bicycle  ride  in  the  coun- 
try. For  some  unaccountable  reason  he  had  great  an- 
tipathy to  the  odor  of  raspberries  and  could  not  bear  the 
sight  of  them,  for  he  m  some  way  associated  them  with 
the  odor  of  a  certain  little  animal  known  to  be  capable  of 
nauseating  an  entire  neighT^orhood.  About  ten  o'clock 
in  the  morning  he  became  ravenously  hungry,  so  he  de- 
cided to  stop  at  a  farm  house  and  get  a  lunch;  but  to  his 
chagrin  he  found  no  one  there  except  a  little  girl.  She 
told  her  uninvited  guest  that  she  did  not  belong  to  the 
family  and  could  not  give  him  anything  to  eat  except  the 
berries  which  she  had  gathered  to  which  he  was  welcome. 
Not  thinking  of  raspberries,  and  being  hungry  enough 
to  eat  anything,  the  kind  ofifer  was  accepted.  The  little 
girl  brought  the  berries,  and  before  he  could  refuse,  she 
had  delivered  them   into   the  gentleman's   hands.     The 


298  IDIOSYNCRASIA 

novelty  of  the  situation,  together  with  his  hunger,  over- 
came his  repugnance  to  the  fruit,  and  he  has  been  fond  of 
them  ever  since. 

Judicious  flavoring  and  repeated  trials  will  bring  the 
appetite  to  favor  suitable  foods. 

The  best  cure  for  all  peculiarities  is  to  prevent  them, 
by  proper  living,  as  we  have  pointed  out 


CHAPTER  XXV. 
CAUSES  AND  SIGNIFICANCE  PAIN. 

Pain  is  the  cry  of  an  injured  nerve.  It  often  masks  its 
real  intention  and  plays  hide  and  seek  in  the  human 
body  and  should  therefore  be  studied  with  great  care,  so 
that  its  characteristics  may  be  fully  understood.  Most 
people  understand  it  to  be  a  gauge  or  measure  which  in- 
dicates the  violence  of  the  disease  which  causes  it,  but  the 
danger  from  the  disease  is  frequently  in  an  inverse  ratio 
to  its  intensity,  so  that  the  absence  of  pronounced  pain 
may  be  of  much  greater  significance  than  its  presence,  and 
while  it  indicates  discordance  in  the  human  mechanism,  it 
may  herald  the  exact  locality  in  which  there  is  trouble,  or 
may  be  very  remote  from  the  parts  affected. 

]\Iany  persons  suppose  that  serious  diseases  always  pro- 
duce pain,  and  lack  of  knowledge  on  this  subject  has 
made  thousands  of  persons  victims  of  fatal,  insidious  dis- 
eases, that  send  no  advance  agent — pain — to  herald  their 
approach.  These  painless  destroyers  of  life  glide  into  our 
very  vitals,  and  like  the  poisonous  reptile  in  our  pathway, 
strike  us  a  fatal  blow  without  even  a  pain  to  warn  us  of 
their  existence. 

This  would  seem  to  make  the  value  of  pain  in  tlie  diag- 
nosis of  disease  somewhat  uncertain,  and  yet  careful  study 
of  its  intensity,  recurrence,  location,  and  even  its  absence, 
greatly  aids  in  the  diagnosis  of  disease.  In  order  to  deter- 
mine the  significance  of  pain,  we  must  take  into  consider- 
ation the  relative  sensitiveness  of  different  individuals. 
We  have  all  observed  instances  in  which  persons  have 
complained  a  great  deal  from  comparatively  slight  pain. 

299 


300  SENSITIVENESS  TO  PAIN 

while  others  have  endured  severe  pain  with  little  or  no 
complaint.  If  a  patient  says  that  he  has  a  severe  pain,  we 
must  determine  by  the  appearance  and  character  of  the 
person,  what  this  actually  means.  Does  it  mean  that  he 
is  suffering  from  some  serious  disturbance,  or  is  he  simply 
exaggerating,  perhaps  unconsciously,  what  to  some  others 
would  be  considered  slight  pain?  Again,  it  will  some 
times  be  observed  that  children,  and  often  adults,  will 
endure  pain  without  admitting  it,  if  they  fear  the  treat- 
ment that  might  follow,  especially  if  that  treatment  be 
surgical.  On  the  other  hand,  persons  will  often  com- 
plain of  pain  and  suffering,  in  order  to  attain  certain  ends. 
Examples:  persons  have  often  been  known  to  complain 
of  pain  in  order  to  secure  morphine  or  some  similar  drug 
which  they  crave. 

Why  is  it  that  some  people  actually  feel  pain  more  keenly 
than  others?  This  may  be  accounted  for  on  several 
grounds.  Some  persons  naturally  have  a  sensitive  nerv- 
ous system,  and  any  irritation  will  cause  greater  excite- 
ment of  their  nerves,  than  it  would  in  a  person  who 
naturally  has  a  sluggish  nervous  system.  As  a  rule,  per- 
sons inured  to  hardships  can  stand  more  pain  than  those 
who  have  always  had  an  easy  life.  It  is  for  this  reason 
that  those  who  have  had  much  pain  can  endure  it  better 
than  one  who  has  always  been  free  from  it.  It  is  fortunate 
that  pain  is  the  forerunner  (so-called)  of  many  diseases, 
and  it  would  be  better  perhaps  if  it  were  present  in  the 
beginning  of  others;  for  it  is  the  one  thing  which  by  its 
persistent  annoyance  will  drive  its  possessor  to  determine 
its  cause  and  seek  relief.  It  is  not  uncommon  to  learn  of 
persons  who  have  neglected  some  serious  disease  because 
it  had  not  caused  them  much  pain.  Alas,  we  would  that 
pain  were  always  the  forerunner  of  disease ;  for  too  often 
it  comes  too  late  and  the  victim  is  shocked  to  learn  that 


VALUE  OF  PAIN  301 

an  apparently  slight  trouble  is  of  a  serious  nature.  It  con- 
sequently happens  that  a  simple  distress,  or  uneasy  feel- 
ing, develops  sooner  or  later  into  actual  pain.  Now  the 
time  to  seek  relief  is  soon  after  the  distress  is  felt,  and  not 
wait  weeks  or  months  for  it  to  disappear,  without  remov- 
ing its  cause.  Only  a  physician  can  interpret  the  real 
value  and  importance  of  a  given  pain,  for  the  real  cause 
does  not  always  lie  immediately  in  the  region  wiierc  the 
pain  is  felt,  but  may  be  quite  remote. 

Lender  this  head  comes  what  are  termed  reflex  pains. 
Example:  heart  disease  will  sometimes  cause  pain  in  the 
back  and  left  arm ;  liver  disease  may  cause  pain  in  the  right 
shoulder  and  back;  spinal  disease,  pain  in  the  legs,  etc. 
How  often  we  hear  people  who  are  suffering  pain,  say, 
"Oh,  I  think  it  is  only  a  little  rheumatic  trouble  due  to 
the  weather."  While  this  is  sometimes  in  a  sense  true,  it 
is  also  true  that  some  serious  diseases  early  cause  pains 
which  may  readily  be  mistaken  for  some  slight  trouble. 

Let  us  not  forget  that  pain  under  all  circumstances,  in- 
dicates illness  somewhere,  and  it  might  be  almost  truly 
said,  that  aside  from  the  pain  of  child  bed,  there  are  no 
natural  pains.  The  belief  entertained  by  some,  that  chil- 
dren have  "growing  pains"  is,  to  say  the  least,  a  great 
mistake,  for  neither  slow  nor  rapid  growth  produces  pain, 
and  it  is  no  part  of  healthy  development.  No  perfectly 
well  person  feels  pain,  and  when  he  does  so,  it  should  in- 
varial)ly  signify  to  him  that  some  part  of  his  physical 
mechanism  is  out  of  order,  and  in  need  of  attention.  It 
may  be  compared  to  the  pounding  or  squeaking  of  an 
engine,  or  any  machine,  which  should  run  smoothly ;  when 
it  is  heard  the  engineer  knows  that  something  is  wrong, 
and  at  once  tries  to  locate  the  cause  and  remove  it.  If  it 
is  necessary  to  take  such  precaution,  with  an  inanimate 
machine,  why  should  we  not  take  equal  or  greater  precau- 


302  TEMPTING  DISEASE 

tion  with  our  living  mechanism,  since  our  very  existence, 
as  rational,  active  beings,  depends  upon  its  preservation? 
Knowing  all  this,  why  do  we  not  more  often  heed  the  kind 
warning  of  nature,  remove  the  cause  of  an  injury,  and 
repair  the  part  to  which  pain  directs  us. 

The  savage,  inured  to  pain  from  early  infancy,  meets  it 
with  a  stoicism  which  is  worthy  of  admiration,  but  which 
science  and  experience  teaches,  is  too  often  the  result  of 
ignorance  and  superstition.  Civilized  men  should  not 
tamper  with,  or  tempt  disease,  by  violating  the  inexorable 
laws  of  nature.  If  we  heed  her  first  warmng,  she  may  be 
lenient,  but  if  we  disregard  them,  she  may  be  cruel  in  the 
extreme.  The  saddest  information  which  the  physician 
gives,  is,  "you  have  neglected  your  trouble  too  long,"  and 
the  equally  sad  reply  of  the  patient,  'T  did  not  think  it 
was  so  bad,  as  I  have  not  suffered  much  pain." 

These  words  may  seem  trifling  to  the  reader,  but  stop 
one  moment  and  reflect.  May  they  ever  apply  to  you? 
Yes,  they  may  at  any  time  apply  to  any  one,  and  especially 
to  those  who  disregard  the  rules  of  good  living,  and  the 
warning  of  slight  pains.  A  careless  engineer  who  dis- 
regards slight  defects  in  his  machine  may  soon  find  that  it 
has  suddenly  stopped — possibly  capable  of  repair  but 
often  beyond  such  a  possibility.  If  we  could  be  so  im- 
pressed with  these  facts  as  to  be  impelled  by  them,  there 
w^ould  be  fewer  cases  of  premature  age  and  early  death; 
fewer  cases  of  impaired  and  useless  human  machines. 
Whence  arises  that  ill-sounding  and  never  acceptable 
word,  incurahkf 

Too  often  it  results  from  repeatedly  disregarded  pain, 
until  the  disease  has  advanced  too  far — nature  has  too 
long  been  outraged.  In  those  cases  where  there  is  slight 
pain  with  the  onset  of  some  insidious  disease,  as  chronic 
kidney,  heart,  or  lung  disease,  etc.,  we  can  understand  how 


PAIN  OFTEN  MISLEADING  303 

a  person  who  does  not  recognize  the  importance  of  a  sHglit 
pain,  or  even  physical  discomfort,  may  compromise  him- 
self to  disease,  but  to  one  who  does  know  the  significance 
of  pain,  it  is  gross  carelessness.  The  location  of  pain  is 
also  a  point  worthy  of  consideration,  for  it  is  often  mis- 
leading. The  real  source  of  disease  may  be  far  from  the 
place  where  the  pain  is  felt.  To  illustrate,  let  us  consider 
some  common  example:  headache — one  of  the  most 
common  pains — may  result  from  disturbance  of  the  stom- 
ach, or  bowels,  or  it  may  arise  from  some  difiticulty  of  the 
nervous  system,  or  again,  from  actual  disease  of  the  brain. 
What  is  so  commonly  called  heart-burn  results  from  dis- 
turbance of  the  stomach,  and  is  in  no  way  a  heart  pam, 
simply  felt  in  the  region  of  the  heart. 

Diseases  of  the  female  organs  usually  produce  pain  in 
the  back,  and  not  at  the  seat  of  the  disease.  Pains  in  the 
intestines  can  often  be  recognized  by  the  pat'ent,  because 
of  its  colicky  nature,  but  pains  of  other  abdominal  organs 
are  not  so  easily  recognized.  How  often  people  complain 
of  pain  in  the  kidneys,  when  in  reality  it  is  not  in  the  kid- 
neys, but  in  the  muscles  of  the  back,  and  may  be  some 
distance  from  the  kidneys.  Pain  in  the  kidneys  is  not  one- 
half  as  common  as  many  suppose.  The  character  of  the 
pain  is  as  important  as  the  location.  In  the  first  place, 
sharp  pains  more  often  indicate  acute  diseases,  and  dull, 
aching  pains,  chronic  diseases.  Of  course,  this  rule  has 
exceptions,  which  only  emphasize  the  importance  of  find- 
ing out  the  cause  of  pain  whatever  its  character. 

The  intensity  of  pain  also  has  considerable  significance 
in  disease.  A  pain  does  not  have  to  be  very  intense  in 
order  to  indicate  a  serious  trouble,  for  some  grave  dis- 
eases, often  exist  with  only  a  slight,  if  any  pain  at  all. 
On  the  other  hand  the  most  intense  pain  is  often  found 
in  acute  and  relatively  slight  diseases.     Acute  indigestion 


304  PREVENT  PAIN 

is  a  comparatively  slight  disease,  as  regards  the  probability 
of  recovery,  but  the  pain  is  often  intense,  while  a-  serious 
form  of  dyspepsia  may  show  but  slight  pain.  Finally,  we 
should  consider  the  duration  of  pain.  If  pain  persists  for 
hours  or  days  it  is  usually  of  a  more  serious  import  than 
if  it  is  transient. 

Neuralgic  or  rheumatic  pains  are  often  transient,  while 
the  pains  of  organic  diseases  are  often  protracted,  but 
may  vary  in  intensity  or  stop  temporarily.  It  is  usually 
for  persistent  pains  that  people  seek  rellei.  They  can 
stand  pain  part  of  the  time,  but  they  cannot  as  a  rule  stand 
it  all  the  time.  Now  with  what  has  been  said  about  pain 
it  becomes  readily  apparent  that  the  individual  should  not 
trust  too  much  to  himself  for  its  interpretation,  but  if  it 
is  at  all  constant,  he  should  secure  the  opinion  of  some 
physician  who  can  tell  him  whether  it  is  of  any  real  con- 
cern. This  might  well  be  illustrated  by  mistakes  wiiich 
are  quite  often  made  in  regard  to  pain  in  the  abdon:en; 
not  uncommonly  pain  in  this  region  has  been  thought  that 
of  coHc  or  indigestion,  while  it  proved  to  be  the  pain  of 
appendicitis.  In  the  first  condition  there  is  no  great 
anxiety,  but  much  in  the  latter  and  it  should  be  recognized 
as  early  as  possible,  since  a  great  deal  depends  upon  the 
manner  of  treatment. 

Let  no  one  think  slightly  of  pain,  for  if  heeded  in  time 
serious  illness  can  often  be  prevented,  and  much  suffering 
avoided.  The  doctor,  skilled  in  examining  patients,  learns 
to  distinguish  the  importance  of  the  pain,  and  can  often 
relieve  a  patient's  anxiety  or  inform  him  of  its  true  signifi- 
cance. People  must  not  think  that  they  can  persistently 
disregard  natural  laws,  until  they  sufifer  from  organic  dis- 
ease, and  then  expect  a  physician  to  undo  all  their  pa::-.t 
mistakes.  The  best  time  to  treat  disease  is  before  it 
exists,  and  then  the  treatment  is  very  simple,  inasmuch  as 


PREVENT  PAIN  305 

it  only  means  correct  living.  The  penalties  of  unhygienic 
living  are  often  long  delayed,  but  they  are  almost  sure  to 
come  sooner  or  later.  Let  us  guard  ourselves,  lest  we 
sufYer  from  having  abused  nature. 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 
FEEDING  THE  SICK. 

It  was  formerly  supposed  that  drugs  cured  disease,  and 
as  a  consequence,  very  little  attention  was  paid  to  feeding 
sick  people.  The  modern  physician  strives  to  aid  nature. 
Nearly  a  half  century  ago,  a  noted  medical  writer  stated 
that  of  all  the  means  known  for  the  cure  of  disease,  none 
was  so  powerful  as  a  proper  adaptation  of  food  and  drink. 
It  is  to  be  regretted,  that  the  importance  of  feeding,  has 
not  been  more  generally  recognized,  and  this  being  true, 
it  is  no  wonder  that  methods  of  feeding  should  escape  at- 
tention, The  first  recjuisite  is  suitable  food,  and  the 
nurse  must  see  that  it  is  properly  prepared.  It  should  be 
the  duty  of  some  one  in  every  household  to  take  charge 
of  the  preparation  and  feeding  in  illness.  It  is  not  enough 
for  the  physician  to  give  directions  as  to  the  food.  The 
nurse  must  know  that  the  milk  is  sweet  and  pure;  that 
the  broths  are  properly  made ;  that  the  toast  is  thoroughly 
dried  and  browned;  that  the  gruels  are  thoroughly  cooked 
and  that  the  fruits  are  neither  green  nor  over-ripe. 

The  patient's  appetite  and  peculiarities  must  be  watched 
and  it  is  of  the  greatest  importance  to  find  out  his  likes 
and  dislikes,  and  how  to  flavor  and  serv^e  what  is  agreea- 
ble. Study  the  patient's  whims  and  agree  with  them,  and 
under  no  circumstances  should  the  patient  be  directly  an- 
tagonized. If  necessary  to  do  things  radically  different 
from  what  he  desires,  agree  with  him  in  speech,  but  do 
what  is  best.  If  the  patient  wanted  something  very  harm- 
ful that  would  require  some  tact.  If  not  amenable  to 
reason  and  the  condition  serious,  it  may  be  well  to  say 


308  FEEDING  THE  SICK 

that  he  can  have  all  he  wants ;  that  the  doctor  directed  that 
he  be  compelled  to  eat  ten  or  twenty  pounds.  If  per- 
suaded that  he  must  eat  a  disagreeable  amount,  it  often 
happens  that  they  will  not  even  taste  the  article.  No  very 
specific  directions  can  be  given.  The  patient's  mind  must 
be  appeased  as  well  as  his  body  fed.  There  may  be  no 
appetite  and  all  food  refused,  but  this  may  result  from 
oiTering  unpalatable  food,  or  due  to  some  offensive  way 
in  which  it  is  served.  As  a  general  rule,  patients  should 
be  fed  regularly.  If  the  patient  sleeps  a  good  deal  he  may 
be  roused  up;  but  if  not,  the  best  time  to  olYer  food  is  just 
after  the  patient  has  slept,  but  never  immediately  after 
severe  attacks  of  pain,  unless  unavoidable.  One  of  the 
most  essential  things  in  good  feeding  is  the  patient's  com- 
fort. It  is  of  the  utmost  importance  that  the  patient  be 
made  comfortable  and  able  to  receive  the  food  without 
exertion,  otherwise  he  may  dread  the  sight  of  it.  Food 
can  always  be  made  most  appetizing  to  the  patient  by  be- 
ing served  in  an  attractive  way.  This  means  cleaji  hands, 
clean  apparel,  and  the  best  china  in  the  house.  Sick  peo- 
ple are  often  much  more  observing  than  when  well,  and 
great  care  must  be  taken  not  to  present  the  same  appear- 
ance when  ofifering  food  as  when  doing  chamber  work, 
otherwise  the  patient  may  associate  the  two  and  be  nause- 
ated at  the  sight  of  food.  Hot  food  should  be  served 
quite  hot,  and  cold  ones  sufificiently  cold  to  be  pleasant 
to  the  taste.  It  must  be  remembered  that  the  sick  are 
more  or  less  sensitive  and  whimsical,  and  great  bulk  is 
particularly  repugnant  to  a  weak  appetite.  The  practice 
of  leaving  medicine  bottles  and  remnants  of  a  meal  on  a 
chair  or  table,  where  the  patient  can  constantly  see  them, 
is  very  careless,  to  say  the  least,  and  calculated  to  make 
the  patient  loathe  the  sight  of  food,  and  instead  of  a  con- 


FEEDING  THE  SICK  309 

stant  vision  of  nauseating-  medicine  bottles,  l)riglu,  fra- 
grant tiowers  will  exert  a  benelieial  inllucnce. 

The  frequency  and  quantity  of  food  to  be  given,  de- 
pends largely  on  the  oe)nditi(^n  of  the  patient.  The  diges- 
tive secretions  will  usually  be  the  weakest  during  high 
fever.  Patients  are  seldom  fed  at  closer  intervals  than 
two  hours,  or  farther  apart  than  four  or  five  hours. 

If  food  causes  nausea  and  disgust,  it  only  does  harm  to 
oflfer  it,  no  matter  who  advises  it;  but  it  does  not  follow- 
that  all  foods  will  do  so;  and  w^hen  one  disagrees,  some- 
thing else  must  be  substituted  fof  a  time,  even  if  less  suit- 
able, until  the  patient  can  tolerate  a  better  food.  As  a 
general  rule,  food  should  be  given  at  regular  intervals  and 
in  small  quantities.  Always  carry  small  quantities  of  food 
to  the  bedside,  and  when  the  patient  has  little  or  no  appe- 
tite, it  is  not  advisable  to  ask  what  would  be  agreeable. 
If  the  patient  be  nervous  and  sufifer  greatly  from  pain, 
and  therefore  unable  to  sleep,  he  should  not  ordinarily  be 
aroused  for  feeding;  but  if  he  sleeps  much  and  is  easily 
aroused,  he  may  be  -fed  at  the  regular  periods.  If  he 
should  insist  on  having  some  food,  of  doubtful  use,  pre- 
pare it  without  fat  of  any  kind.  If  it  be  a  solid,  grind  to 
a  powder,  as  fine  as  flour,  if  possible ;  but  it  is  usually  bet- 
ter to  give  only  liquid  food,  and  if  vegetables,  they  should 
be  stewed  and  only  the  broth  given ;  and  if  fruits,  only  the 
juice.  In  such  cases,  give  teaspoonfuls  and  watch  re- 
sults. In  giving  meat  broths,  the  oil  floating  on  the  cup 
should  always  be  skimmed  ofif  with  a  piece  of  bread,  before 
offering  it.  The  care  of  the  patient's  mouth  is  hardly  less 
important  than  the  feeding,  because  a  bad  mouth  may 
indirectly  be  the  cause  of  death.  The  mouth  is  affected 
by  fever,  medicine,  and  foul  secretions,  wdiich  are  likely 
to  make  it  very  uncomfortable  and  sometimes  very  sore; 
and  in  either  case,  it  may  destroy  tlie  patient's  appetite. 
Now,  many  patients  die  of  exhaustion,  tliat  would  proba- 


310  FEEDING  UNCONSCIOUS  PATIENTS 

bly  not  have  clone  so,  had  they  been  properly  nourished; 
and  this,  in  turn,  may  have  been  because  of  the  condition 
of  the  patient's  mouth.  There  are  only  two  things  to  be' 
done,  and  that  is  to  cleanse  and  disinfect  after  each  feed- 
ing. Use  warm  water,  to  which  a  little  of  some  mild 
disinfectant,  such  as  boracic  acid,  has  been  added,  and 
then  rinse  with  plain  water.  Soft  brushes  or  swabs  should 
be  used  where  possible.  Of  course,  in  washing  the  mouth 
nothing  should  be  swallowed.  Chewing  a  slice  of  lemon 
has  a  remarkable  effect  in  cleansing  a  foul  tongue,  and 
for  this  purpose  probably  there  is  nothing  as  serviceable. 
The  lips  should  be  moistened  with  salt  water,  or  vaseline, 
or  nut  oils  may  be  applied.  Unconscious  patients  must 
not  be  fed  anything  but  liquid  food,  and  tliat  through  a 
catheter.  This  is  necessary,  because  it  is  difficult  to  get 
food  to  the  stomach  in  any  other  way,  for  the  patient 
will  not  swallow.  If  the  mouth  cannot  be  opened  and 
there  are  no  teeth  missing,  through  which  the  tube  can 
be  passed,  then  the  tube  must  always  be  passed  through 
the  nostril.  In  the  absence  of  any  indications  to  the  con- 
trary, patients  may  be  allowed  all  the  cold  water  they 
wish.  This  is  especially  true  in  fever.  During  a  chill, 
or  where  it  is  necessary  to  reduce  the  volume  of  blood,  as 
in  some  disease  of  the  heart,  or  puerperal  eclampsia 
(spasms  after  child-birth),  specific  directions  as  to  amount 
of  liquid  to  be  allovvcd,  must  be  given  by  the  attending 
physician.  The  matter  of  ventilation  and  sanitation  do 
not  belong  to  this  book,  except  as  an  incident  affecting 
the  patient's  appetite. 

Many  people  in  ordinary  health  are  almost  as  afraid  of 
"drafts"  as  of  small-pox.  It  is,  therefore,  not  surprising 
that  sick  chambers  are  often  kept  without  pure  air.  The 
sick  room  must  be  kept  sweet.  No  sick  person  can  have 
an  appetite  or  relish  foods  when  kept  in  a  foul,  stifling 


IN  ACUTE  DISEASES  311 

atmosphere.  Warmth  and  fresh  air  are  tlic  first  of  all 
considerations,  and  air  exerts  the  greatest  influence  in 
diseases  of  the  lungs.  All  vessels  used  in  the  sick-room 
must  be  disinfected  and  cleaned  with  boiling  water  every 
tune  they  are  used. 

Diet  in  Acute  Diseases. 

Many  suppose  that  feeding  in  acute  diseases  is  unim- 
portant, because  they  are  usually  of  short  duration.  This 
is  a  great  error;  for  who  knows  the  duration  of  any  at- 
tack of  illness?  The  patient  should  be  kept  in  as  good  a 
condition  as  possible  to  resist  disease,  and  to  be  able  to 
more  quickly  resume  the  duties  of  life. 

A  few  years  ago,  a  large  per  cent,  of  typhoid  patients 
died  of  exhaustion  after  three  or  four  weeks'  illness.  Now 
it  is  possible  to  carry  them  the  same  length  of  time  with 
very  little  loss  of  weiglit.  Fever  destroys  tissue  at  a  high 
rate.  This  calls  for  diet  rich  in  proteids.  There  are  some 
general  principles  which  apply  in  nearly  all  acute  dis- 
eases.    Briefly  enumerated,  they  are  as  follows: 

(1)  Foods  must  be  well  cooked  and  easy  to  digest. 

(2)  They  should  be  given  in  fluid,  puree,  semi-sohd  or 
powdered  form. 

(.3)  It  is  generally  necessary  to  give  small  quantities 
with  greater  frequency  than  in  health. 

(4)  Foods  should  be  given  when  the  body  tempera- 
ture is  the  lowest. 

(5)  All  foods  must  be  bland  and  unirritating. 

(G)  No  iced  drinks  should  be  given  except  by  advice 
of  attending  physician. 

The  foods  most  commonly  used  in  acute  diseases,  ex- 
cept water,  are  as  follows: 

Milk  holds  first  place,  and  can  probably  be  used  in  some 
form  in  all  cases.  Plain  milk  may  first  be  tried,  either 
cold   or   hot,  then  pasteurized,   sterilized  or   peptonized. 


312  HOW  TO  PREPARE  FOOD 

If  these  do  not  agree,  try  milk  and  barley  water,  or  milk 
and  gelatine,  or  milk  and  "slippery  elm"  water.  In  diarrh- 
oea use  milk  and  lime  water,  and  in  constipation  milk 
and  soda  water  (see  "Milk,''  for  methods). 

When  desirable  to  use  the  largest  quantity  of  food,  the 
milk  should  be  thickened  with  well-cooked  starch,  either 
rice,  barley  flour,  arrowroot,  sago  or  corn  starch.  The 
fine  flour  starches  should  be  put  to  cook  in  cold  water 
and  gradually  brought  to  a  boil  and  kept  boiling  for  an 
an  hour  or  two.  Coarse  meals  should  be  kept  boiling 
from  three  to  five  hours-  and  then  strained.  Meat  broths 
are  used  extensively,  but  as  ordinarily  made  they  contain 
but  little  nutriment.  Meat  may  be  used  in  powdered  form 
to  better  advantage.  The  most  practical  way  to  powder 
meat  is  to  grind  it  at  least  six  times,  and  each  time  it  is 
run  through  the  grinder,  the  solid  or  stringy  part  should 
be  removed.  This  will  reduce  the  bulk  about  one-half, 
but  the  refuse  may  be  used  for  broths.  The  powder  may 
be  macerated  in  cold  water  and  then  gently  warmed.  If 
the  patient  is  very  feeble,  it  should  be  strained. 

Eggs  may  be  used  with  either  broths,  milk  or  alcohol, 
where  the  latter  is  prescribed  it  will  usually  be  desirable  to 
use  it  as  a  vehicle  for  food.  They  can  best  be  used  with- 
out cooking,  when  beaten  or  stirred  into  hot  broths  or 
milk.  Skill  in  flavoring  may  save  life,  because  recovery 
may  depend  on  the  strength  of  the  patient,  and  that  in 
turn  on  the  amount  of  food  that  can  be  taken.  Lemon, 
pineapple,  vanilla,  nutmeg,  cinnamon  and  fruit  flavors  gen- 
erally, may  be  employed.  Some  of  the  prepared  infant 
and  invalid  foods  may  be  used  to  great  advantage.  The 
use  of  fruits  gives  most  concern,  because  of  their  sugar 
and  acid,  which  may  quickly  ferment.  Sometimes  they 
seem  to  exert  a  restorative  power  that  is  marvelous.  The 
sweet  fruits  seem  to  ferment  too  quickly,  and  the  sour 


FRUITS  AND  MILK  313 

ones  are  incompatible  with  milk,  and  sometimes  with  the 
medicines  administered.  If  attending  physician  fails  to 
give  any  directions  about  fruits,  it  would  be  well  to  ask 
whether  acids  would  be  incompatible  with  any  of  the 
drugs  administered.  The  sour  fruits  should  be  given  with 
the  egg  or  meat  broths,  and  not  with  milk,  and  always  free 
from  seeds  and  skins.  The  juices  of  stewed  fruits  should 
be  used  for  their  flavor,  rather  than  the  nutriment  they 
contain.  Great  care  must  be  exercised  not  to  give  fruits 
that  are  tainted  with  decay,  or  that  contain  any  solid  or 
tough  substance.  Nothing  but  the  juice  should  be  given, 
with  the  possible  exception  of  mellow  peaches,  baked 
apples  and  banana  meal. 

It  is  certainly  advisable  to  give  daily  all  the  food  that 
can  be  digested,  whether  that  be  a  pint  or  three  quarts. 
We  doubt  the  propriety  of  giving  more  .than  three  pints 
or  two  quarts  of  milk  per  day*  in  typhoid  cases.  Alore 
nourishment  will  be  needed,  but  meat-powder  or  beaten 
eggs,  with  an  increased  supply  of  water,  will  bring  best 
results.  It  is  best  to  add  barley  water,  well-cooked  starch 
or  gelatine  to  milk  to  prevent  the  formation  of  large 
curds.  There  are  no  inflexible  rules — feeding  must  be 
adapted  to  the  patient. 

Drinks. 

Xot  many  generations  ago,  the  sick  died  of  thirst,  be- 
cause the  people  "vere  so  ignorant  as  to  believe  that  water 
was  a  strong  ally  to  fever.  Now  water  is  administered 
inside  and  outside,  and  fever  is  controlled  by  it  when  all 
other  remedies  are  impotent.  Patients  who  are  rational 
will  ask  for  water;  but  those  who  are  unconscious,  should 
be  given  water  at  regular  intervals.  If  milk  be  used  ex- 
tensively, the  need  for  water  will  be  much  less  than  if 
smaller  quantities  of  fluid  be  ingested.  Sour  lemonade 
is  one  of  the  favorite  drinks  in  fever.     If  there  is  any 


314  DRINKS 

tendency  to  sour  stomach,  no  sugar  should  be  used.  It 
must  not  be  given  with  milk  or  starch  gruel,  nor  with 
incompatible  drugs.  Both  tea  and  coffee  should  be  re- 
fused, but  cereal  coffee  may  be  allowed,  and  very  useful 
by  way  of  variety.  Coffee  may  be  used  for  flavoring  milk 
or  other  foods.  It  must  not  be  allowed  to  boil,  and 
should  be  steeped  only  a  short  time. 

If  the  patient  likes  chocolate,  a  little  may  be  added  to 
cereal  coffee,  but  should  be  strained  before  using.  Grape 
juice,  unfermented  fruit  juices,  and  natural  mineral  waters 
are  usually  allowable,  and  sometimes  very  beneficial. 
Cold  drinks  must  be  slowly  sipped,  otherwise  they  may 
greatly  interfere  with  digestion. 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

CAUSES  OF  INDIGESTION. 

The  diseases  of  the  stomach  and  other  digestive  organs 
are  so  nearly  universal  in  this  country,  and  so  closely  re- 
lated to  each  other,  it  may  not  be  amiss  to  call  attention 
to  a  few  general  facts  as  a  prelude  to  a  more  specific  dis- 
cussion of  the  causes  which  produce  them,  and  the  mala- 
dies incident  thereto.  Primitive  man  lived  much  more 
in  harmony  with  his  storrach  than  our  modern,  so-called 
highly  educated  being.  Civilization,  with  its  inventions, 
has  done  much  to  elevate  man  and  produce  external  com- 
forts, most  of  which  react  on  his  physical  nature;  and 
this  is  especially  true  of  his  digestive  organs.  The  stom- 
ach might  aptly  be  called  the  boiler  of  the  body ;  and  when 
we  think  of  what  its  owners  compel  it  to  endure,  the  ques- 
tion naturally  arises,  "Had  man's  stomach  been 
constructed  of  aluminum,  would  he  still  have  found  some 
way  to  destroy  it  in  the  gratification  of  his  perverted 
tastes?"  As  man  now  lives,  his  stomach  is  totally  inade- 
quate for  the  uses  which  he  makes  of  it.  Had  it  been  con- 
structed of  some  material  that  would  not  corrode,  that 
would  stretch  to  unlimited  proportions  and  then  set  on 
springs,  it  might  have  met  the  requirements  of  modern 
usage.  ]\Iodern  man  is  a  creature  of  boastful  progress; 
but  his  very  progress  has  brought  him  habits  of  self-de- 
struction. Nature  demands  activity;  whereas,  the  con- 
stant efifort  of  man  is  to  contrive  some  way  to  avoid  work, 
and  increase  his  luxuries — the  highway  robbers  of  health. 
Our  savage  ancestors  were  giants  in  strength  and  stature, 
and  we,  their  dwarfed  descendants,  resemble  them  only 


316  SOURCE  OF  DISEASE 

as  a  shadow  resembles  its  substance,  and  the  best  that  can 
be  said  of  us  is,  that  we  are  a  badly  executed  miniature, 
painted  by  the  cramped,  nerve-racked  hand  of  modern 
civilization.  There  are  several  ways  of  using  a  candle. 
In  olden  times  they  lighted  many  candles,  at  one  end, 
which  made  a  bright  light  and  burned  long.  Modern 
man  is  nothing  if  not  ingenious,  and  seemingly  econom- 
ical. He  lights  both  ends  of  his  candle,  saves  candles  and 
candelabra;  but  alas,  how  quickly  burned  out!  We  for- 
get that  pain  and  disease  is  the  base  alloy  that  makes  our 
lives  a  counterfeit  of  Nature.  If  we  would  be  free  from 
physical  infirmities  or  cure  them,  we  must  study  their 
causes. 

Causes  ot  Disease. 
The  source  of  disease  is  sometimes  obscure,  but  gener- 
ally speaking,  its  causes  may  be  divided  into  two  general 
classes:  (1)  Those  that  come  from  extraneous  sources, 
which  are  called  contagious  or  infectious  diseases.  (2) 
Those  that  come  from  within,  from  poisonous  products 
generated  in  the  body,  or  some  form  of  mal-nutrition.  It 
'<;  a  great  mistake  to  suppose  that  most  of  our  ailments 
are  unavoidable.  A  few  of  the  more  virulent  diseases, 
juch  as  diphtheria,  are  probably  not  dependent  on  the  ill 
health  of  those  whoui  it  attacks  for  a  starting  point;  but 
most  germs  have  little  or  no  effect  on  those  who  are  in 
perfect  health,  while  those  who  are  already  diseased,  are 
easy  victims.  Some  physicians  say  that  nine-tenths  of 
the  ordinary  diesases  are  caused  by  auto-intoxication — 
self-poisoning.  This  estimate  may  be  too  high,  but  all 
physicians  of  high  attainments  agree  that  a  very  large  per 
cent,  are  so  produced.  To  put  it  another  way:  we  allow 
effete  matter  to  accumulate  in  the  system,  or  take  sub- 
stances into  the  body  which  form  poisonous  compounds, 
and  disease,  or  at  least  weakness,  results.     Now,  as  good 


DISEASE  SELF  INFLICTED  317 

health  is  the  armor  of  Nature,  the  system  is  defenseless 
without  it.  It  is  our  purpose  to  show  how  disease  origin- 
ates by  pointing  out  the  most  common  errors  in  our  hab- 
its of  living,  and  the  characteristics  of  the  diseases  pro- 
duced. The  immediate  sources  of  contagious  diseases 
are  beyond  the  scope  of  this  book,  for  they  are  all  de- 
pendent upon  bacteria  or  other  organisms.  We  there- 
fore pass  them  by.  JModern  investigation  has  thrown 
much  light  upon  self-inflicted  diseases,  and  how  they 
originate.  This  has  come  from  a  better  knowledge  of 
chemistr}-  and  the  use  of  the  microscope.  Our  bodies 
are  real  lat oratories.  We  eat  food  and  it  is  converted 
into  heat,  muscle,  nerve,  fat  and  bone.  The  processes  are 
many,  and  none  can  be  safely  omitted.  This  fact  seems 
to  be  generally  overlooked.  We  eat  to  live,  but  most 
people  exist  (not  to  live)  to  eat.  There  is  no  teamster  so 
dull  but  that  he  knows  there  is  a  limit  to  the  capacity  of 
his  vehicle;  no  miller  that  does  not  know  that  he  cannot 
put  two  barrels  of  flour  in  one ;  but  how  many  people  have 
ever  given  any  thought  as  to  the  capacity  of  their  diges- 
tive organs  or  the  needs  of  the  system?  In  this  respect 
they  have  far  less  regard  for  themselves  than  they  have 
for  any  piece  of  machinery  they  possess.  To  do  good 
work  a  machine  must  not  be  fed  beyond  its  capacity,  and 
it  must  be  kept  clean.  Just  so  with  the  human  body.  If 
properly  fed,  and  kept  clean,  free  from  effete  matter,  there 
will  be  no  disease.  A  good  many  attribute  their  illness 
to  overwork,  or  the  weather — sometimes  to  la  grippe  or 
malaria.  Old  people  who  are  rheumatic,  gouty  and  stiff, 
are  certain  that  it  was  the  hard  work  done  in  early  life 
that  makes  them  so.  Is  it  any  wonder  that  the  rising 
generation  is  not  on  good  terms  with  work?  There  is  an 
occasional  person  who  gets  sick  from  overwork ;  but  the 
overwork  that  causes  most  sickness  is  that  done  at  the  ta- 


318  OVERWORK  UNCOMMON 

ble.  ^'ery  few  people  injure  themselves  by  physical  labor ; 
but  a  small  number  do  from  mental  work.  Overwork 
is  usually  a  nice-sounding  name  for  over-stimulation  from 
tobacco,  alcoholic  liquors,  tea  or  cofifee,  which  disturb 
digestion  and  prevent  the  relaxation  and  rest  that  is  es- 
sential to  good  health.  Injudicious  diet,  lack  of  exercise, 
and  stimulants,  "overwork"  thousands  of  people.  Any 
well-nourished  person  can  work  nine  to  tVk'clve  hours  a 
day  without  injury,  but  the  people  want  to  be  told  that  it 
was  overwork,  rather  than  bad  habits,  that  causes  their 
illness.  Work  is  not  a  curse,  but  a  blessing — though 
most  people  don't  want  to  be  blessed  that  way.  Some 
"overworked"  people  so  seldom  use  their  feet  and  legs  to 
move  themselves,  if  it  were  not  for  uncomfortable  foot- 
ware  they  would  forget  they  had  such  useless  appendages. 
"Nervous  exhaustion''  might  often  appropriately  be  named 
pedal  inanimation.  The  other  supposedly  great  cause  of 
disease — the  weather — is  also  only  a  small  factor.  And 
then  only  in  connection  with  one  of  the  real  causes — the 
imperfect  elimination  of  waste. 

Waste  of  the  Body. 
The  waste  of  the  body  is  eliminated  through  the  lungs, 
skin,  kidneys  and  bowels;  and  whenever  it  is  not  promptly 
removed  from  the  system,  disease  results.     The  waste  is 
made  up  of  three  elements : 

1.  The  dead  tissue  of  the  body. 

2.  Indigestible  particles  of  food. 

3.  Excess  of  food  taken  into  the  system  over  and  above 
its  needs. 

If  the  mere  smell  of  decaying  tissue-foods,  such  as  meat 
and  eggs,  makes  one  sick,  does  it  not  follow  that  it  would 
have  a  worse  efifect  when  in  the  system?  The  effete  tissue 
and  excess  of  food,  especially  meat  and  eggs,  are  really 
poisonous.     People  know  something  about  the  necessity 


WATER  319 

of  food,  but  seem  totally  nnconccrncd  whether  the  waste 
is  removed  or  not,  although  it  is  of  vital  importance. 
Every  one  knows  that  human  life  cannot  exist  without 
air,  but  they  do  not  realize  that  it  could  not  long-  exist  if 
every  pore  in  the  skin  were  closed.  A  large  amount  of 
impurities  is  thrown  out  through  the  lungs,  and  foul 
breath  (except  it  come  from  mouth  or  nose)  is  one  of  the 
best  evidences  of  how  the  system  tries  to  cleanse  itself. 
A  wet  sponge  will  not  absorb  as  much  water  as  a  dry 
one;  nor  will  air,  laden  with  impurities,  carry  away  as 
much  waste  from  the  system  as  pure  air.  An  active  skin 
is  almost  as  essential  as  pure  air,  and  if  generally  recog- 
nized, disease  would  be  far  less  common.  All  intelligent 
people  understand  the  necessity  for  keeping  the  skin  clean, 
but  lose  sight  of  the  fact  that  it  must  be  kept  warm.  This 
explains  why  the  changes  of  the  weather  make  people  sick. 
A  chilly  or  damp  day  may  close  the  pores  of  the  skin ;  and 
if  the  other  outlets  be  inactive,  a  cold  is  the  result.  This 
is  especially  noticeable  in  those  who  eat  more  than  their 
system  needs.  An  excess  or  too  little  clothing  (especially 
on  the  extremities),  overheated  rooms  that  dry  the  skin, 
are  causes  of  cold  and  indigestion.  The  nitrogenous 
waste  of  the  body  is  removed  through  the  kidneys;  but  as 
they  are  mainly  afifected  by  errors  in  diet,  nothing  need 
be  said  about  their  action.  Non-elimination  of  waste,  on 
account  of  constipation,  is  so  common  that  it  demands 
separate  treatment  under  diseases  of  intestines.  No  mat- 
ter how  we  live,  there  will  always  be  a  certain  amount  of 
tissue  that  is  being  removed  and  entering  the  circulation. 
If  the  excretory  outlets  are  insufficient,  the  poisonous 
matter  is  kept  in  the  system,  with  results  that  vary  from 
discomfort  to  death. 

Lack  of  Exercise. 
The  necessity  of  labor  for  most  people,  gives  sufficient 


yO  EXERCISE      DIET     OVEREATING 

exercise;  but  many  women  and  business  men  take  too 
little.  Those  who  do  heavy  work  need  a  great  deal  of 
food,  because  food  is  burned  up  in  force-production. 
Besides  this,  great  muscular  activity  shakes  the  dormant 
digestive  organs  into  activity,  and  assists  in  the  elimination 
of  waste.  The  main  difficulty  is  to  provide  the  proper 
amount  of  food  for  a  certain  amount  of  exercise.  People 
who  lead  an  active  life  will  eat  as  much  or  more  on  Sun- 
day, when  they  do  nothing,  as  when  they  are  at  hard  la- 
bor. This  brings  us  to  the  principal  source  of  disease: 
Lack  of  Adaptation  in  Diet. 

Under  ordinary  conditions  every  organ  in  the  body  is 
more  than  able  to  perform  the  functions  for  which  it  was 
intended,  and  there  should  be  no  disease;  but  so  long 
as  people  utterly  disregard  the  law  of  supply  and  demand, 
in  the  matter  of  feeding  themselves,  so  long  will  the  hu- 
man family  be  cursed  with  it.  The  various  organs  of  the 
body  are  dependent  upon  each  other,  and  all  are  depend- 
ent upon  good  blood,  which  can  onl\-  come  from  food' 
adapted  to  the  needs  of  each  individual.  It  should  be 
constantly  borne  in  mind,  that  tlie  ordinary  diseases  re- 
sult either  from  poison  or  starvation;  poison  from  dead 
tissue  or  decay  of  foods;  starvation,  because  the  foods 
did  not  furnish  the  essential  elements  ot  life,  could  not  be 
digested,  or  was  too  small  in  quantity.  It  sounds  para- 
doxical to  say  that  one  lacks  nourishment,  when  already 
consuming  twice  as  much  food  as  needed,  but  such  is  fre- 
quently the  case.  It  is  not  what  we  eat.  but  what  we 
digest  and  assimilate  that  sustains  life;  and  there  is  no 
fault  that  interferes  with  digestion  more  than  an  excess  of 
food. 

Overeating. 

Too  much  food  unduly  distends  the  stomach  and  weak- 
ens its  contractile  power,  thus  destroying,  in  a  great  m.eas- 


OVEREATING      COOKING  321 

ure,  its  activity — churning  movements.  This  might  be 
illustrated  by  trying  the  strength  of  your  arm  when 
stretched  as  far  as  you  can  reach.  Besides  this,  there  is 
a  limit  to  the  amount  of  digestive  secretions,  and  if  these 
be  only  suf^cient  to  digest  twenty  ounces  of  food,  it  is 
manifest  that  twice  that  quantity  could  not  be  digested. 
Now,  what  results.''  The  food  will  most  likely  remain  in 
the  stomach  too  long  and  decay,  which  cannot  be  cor- 
rected after  the  food  passes  out  of  the  stomach.  The 
blood  thus  becomes  filled  with  crude  and  often  poison- 
ous substances.  This  is  what  produces  the  languor,  head- 
ache and  general  discomfort  so  frequently  felt  after  eating 
a  large  meal,  when  there  was  no  demand  in  the  system 
for  it.  An  overloaded  stomach  acts  like  a  horse  with  a 
heavy  load  on  a  bad  road — very  slow.  Tliere  is  a  chance 
that  it  won't  get  through;  and  if  it  does,  it  will  be  in  a 
bad  condition.  The  most  common  result  of  overeating 
is  to  throw  a  great  bulk  of  gaseous,  fermenting  food 
into  the  intestines,  unduly  distending  them  and  prevent- 
ing their  action,  which  is  a  common  cause  of  constipation. 
Under  such  conditions,  digestion  will  be  very  imperfect, 
and  the  system  poorly  nourished  and  burdened  or  poi- 
soned by  the  waste. 

Bad  Cooking. 
Next  to  overeating,  it  is  somewhat  difBcult  to  determine 
whether  bad  cooking,  folly  in  drinking,  or  haste  in  eating, 
causes  most  disease.  All  are  well-nigh  universally  prac- 
ticed in  this  country.  If  our  people  had  to  do  without 
foods  until  they  were  properly  cooked,  most  of  them  would 
starve  to  death.  Some  modern  cooks  try  to  please  the 
taste,  regardless  of  the  stomach,  while  a  large  number 
make  no  effort  to  do  either.  This  class  simply  bring  heat, 
water,  food  and  fat  togetb.er,  and  trust  to  patent  medi- 
cines and  the  doctor  to  keep  alive  those  who  eat  their 


322  COOKS  SLAY  MILLIONS 

products.  The  modern  cook  has  been  energetic  in  one 
direction,  at  least;  and  that  is  to  get  as  far  away  from  ra- 
tional processes  as  possible.  The  object  of  cooking  is  to 
disintegrate  the  food  and  make  it  most  palatable,  but  the 
cook  often  does  everything  possible  to  serve  the  food  in 
such  a  way  that  neither  end  is  attained.  Heat  coagulates 
or  solidifies  albumen — the  principal  element  of  meat  and 
eggs — so,  in  order  to  make  them  as  nearly  insoluble  as 
possible,  the  cook  keeps  them  subject  to  a  hot  fire  for  a 
long  time,  and,  as  if  this  were  not  bad  enough,  they  are 
often  saturated  with  butter  or  lard.  Fats  are  not  digested 
in  the  stomach,  and  when  meat  or  eggs  are  saturated  with 
it,  the  food  is  sheathed  with  material  not  acted  upon  by 
the  secretions  of  the  stomach.  Could  any  process  be 
worse  than  to  first  render  the  food  insoluble  and  then 
smuggle  it  through  the  stomach  under  a  cover  of  fat? 
This  is  not  all ;  for  the  process  of  cooking  starch  is  equally 
bad.  All  starch-yielding  foods  are  composed  of  layers  of 
starch  cells,  from  one-eight-hundredth,  to  one-five  thou- 
sandth of  an  inch  in  diameter.  These  cells  are  enclosed 
in  indigestible  envelopes,  which  must  be  ruptured  by 
cooking.  Rolled  oats  is  often  served  within  five  min- 
utes after  it  commences  to  cook,  while  two  hours' 
cooking  would  be  nearer  right.  The  method  of  cooking 
coarse,  fibrous  vegetables,  such  as  cabbage,  is  almost  as 
bad.  The  stomach  is  the  disintegrating  vessel  of  the  body, 
and  half-cooked,  woody  or  stringy  vegetables,  saturated 
with  fat,  cannot  be  dissolved  in  weak  stomachs.  The  or- 
dinary cook  spoils  the  meat  by  over-cooking;  the  starchy 
foods  by  almost  no  cooking;  and  caps  the  climax  of  cui- 
sine folly  by  serving  doughy  bread.  Verily,  the  cook 
slays  not  only  thousands,  tens  of  thousands,  but  millions. 
Uselessness  of  Teeth. 
The  Creator  either  made  a  mistake  in  giving  man  teeth. 


EATING  AND  DRINKING  323 

or  man  makes  a  mistake  in  not  using-  them.  The  teetli 
were  evidently  intended  to  crush  all  solid  substances  be- 
fore they  were  swallowed.  It  was  also  intended  that 
saliva  be  mixed  with  the  food  to  an  extent  of  thorough 
saturation;  but  most  people  swallow  their  food  without 
nnicli  crushing  or  saliva,  and  to  make  their  folly  complete, 
they  wash  it  down  with  quantities  of  both  hot  and  cold 
drinks." 

Drinking  Folly. 

"If  he  could  run  like  he  can  drink.  I  would  like  to  hunt 
hares  with  him,"  can  still  be  applied  to  many  people. 
Folly  In  drink  seems  to  have  begun  with  human  life,  and 
we  fear  it  will  only  end  there.  The  use  of  alcoholic 
liquors  has  long  been  an  important  factor  in  producing 
disease.  Strong  liquors  paralyze  the  nerves,  deaden  sen- 
sibility and  irritate  the  mucous  membranes  of  the  stomach. 
Malt  liquors,  in  quantities,  derange  the  stomach,  because 
of  their  icy  coldness,  their  bulk  and  the  amount  of  acetic 
acid  they  contain.  Alcoholic  inebriety  is  a  great  curse 
both  physically  and  morally,  but  is  not  the  only  harmful 
drinking. 

The  reformers  are  not  free  from  folly  of  a  serious  char- 
acter; for  many  of  them  are  tea  and  cofifee  inebriates, 
which,  if  not  so  bad  as  alcohol,  they  make  up  in  the  num- 
bers they  injure  for  what  they  lack  in  the  intensity  of  ef- 
fects. The  habit  of  stimulating  the  nervous  system  with  tea 
and  cofifee  and  tobacco,  through  its  direct  and  hereditary 
influences,  is  one  of  the  principal  sources  of  alcoholic  ine- 
briety. Any  considerable  drinking  during  meals  is  per- 
nicious, because  it  dilutes  the  digestive  secretions  too 
much,  and  makes  too  great  a  bulk  in  the  stomach ;  but 
warm  drinks  are  not  quite  as  bad  as  very  cold  drinks, 
which  lower  the  temperature  of  the  stomach  and  paralyze 
its  nerves.     Ice  water  with  meals  is  one  of  the  most  stu- 


324  INSUFFICIENT  DIET 

pid  pieces  of  folly  practiced  by  Americans  (mostly  men), 
but  a  few  (mostly  female)  have  a  still  worse  habit.  They 
drink  liquids  scalding  hot.  This  practice  leads  to  very 
serious  results,  as  the  excessive  heat  irritates  the  mucous 
membranes  and  relaxes  the  stomach  and  causes  its  dila- 
tation. 

Foul  Mouths. 

Some  people  keep  their  mouths  about  as  foul  as  garb- 
age boxes.  The  food  adheres  to  the  teeth  and  decays; 
this  destroys  them,  makes  an  offensive  breath,  and  poi- 
sons the  food  to  a  greater  or  less  extent,  and  causes  it 
to  decay  in  the  stomach. 

Deficient  Diet. 

To  maintain  health  our  food  must  supply  the  chemical 
elements  found  in  the  body,  in  proper  proportions,  and 
as  most  people  must  select  their  foods  from  a  very  limited 
number  set  before  them,  it  often  happens  that  the  appe- 
tite causes  them  to  eat  those  things  that  contain  an  ex- 
cess of  some  elements,  but  deficient  in  others.  Many  eat 
an  excess  of  sugar,  syrup,  preserves,  candy  and  sweet- 
ened foods.  IMany  dyspeptics  are  cured  by  leaving  oft 
all  sweetened  or  sweet  food.  A  large  number  eat  too 
much  fat  in  the  way  of  fat  meat,  butter,  cream,  gravy  and 
pastry  rich  from  shortening.  Free  fats  in  the  stomach 
envelop  the  food  and  resist  the  action  of  the  gastric  juice, 
and  delay  digestion.  If  fats  remain  in  the  stomach  too 
long,  they  are  partly  converted  into  butyric  acid,  which 
irritates  the  stomach.  A  common  instance  of  a  badly- 
chosen  diet  is  excessive  meat  eating.  If  meat  be  eaten  as 
the  principal  part  of  the  diet,  it  must  be  used  for  tissue- 
repair  and  heat-production,  or  it  will  poison  the  body  if 
not  promptly  eliminated.  Some  go  to  the  otner  extreme, 
and  eat  very  little  but  starch,  white  bread  and  potatoes. 
Such  a  diet  is  deficient  in  protein  and  mineral  matter. 


INSUFFICIENT  DIET  325 

Too  Little  Waste. 

One  of  the  most  common  faults  or  mistakes  in  our  diet, 
is  the  use  of  foods  that  contain  too  little  waste  material. 
This  comes  from  the  practice  of  removing  all  the  cellu- 
lose (bran)  from  our  breadstufTs,  so  that  they  may  appear 
white.  Finely  powdered  bran  acts  as  a  stimulant  of  the 
bowels,  and  is  the  best  of  all  kncnvn  remedies  for  consti- 
pation. Tlie  practice  of  eating  coarse  bran,  as  advised  by 
some  physicians,  is  a  great  mistake.  It  is  too  irritating, 
and  likely  to  remain  in  the  stomach  too  long,  and  may 
also  obstruct  the  bowels. 

Incompatibility  of  Foods. 

Foods  may  be  good  and  wholesome  enough,  but  m- 
compatible  when  taken  together.  As  an  example,  acids 
arrest  the  digestion  of  starch,  and  acids  and  milk  will  often 
cause  vomiting.  Strong  tea  makes  eggs  insoluble  in  the 
stomach,  and  both  strong  tea  and  coffee  arrest  digestion. 
Another  common  fault  is  that  of  eating  too  many  kinds 
of  food  at  the  same  meal.  Some  chemical  elements  unite; 
others  will  only  mix  like  oil  and  water.  Foods  contain 
various  chemical  elements,  and  the  fewer  that  are  mixed 
at  one  time  the  better  for  digestion.  Another  thing,  foods 
that  are  easily  digested,  and  sour  quickly,  like  sweet 
fruits  and  sweetened  starch  puddings,  should  not  be  eaten 
with  hearty  meals,  or  with  foods  that  require  a  long  period 
for  digestion.  If  this  be  done,  they  are  likely  to  sour 
the  whole  meal. 

Eating  too  Little  Food. 

Many  people,  who  are  somewhat  dyspeptic,  eat  too  lit- 
tle food.  Upon  finding  that  many  foods  disagree  with 
them,  they  restrict  their  diet  until  it  barely  sustains  life. 
This  increases  their  constipation,  weakens  the  system  and 
aggravates  their  dyspeptic  troubles.  (See  Dietaries,  for 
quantity  required.) 


S26  IRRITATING  SUBSTANCES 

■  Foods  may  irritate  the  stomach:  (1)  Because  of  their 
chemical  composition.  Such  foods  as  raw  onions  and 
strong  radishes  are  examples.  Also  such  condiments  as 
pepper,  sage,  curry,  horse  radish,  mustard,  and  other 
pungent  substances.  But  few  people  would  care  to  blister 
the  outside  of  their  bodies;  yet  they  have  no  hesitation 
about  blistering  the  inside. 

(2)  Foods  may  irritate,  because  insoluble.  Examples : 
Green  fruits,  raw,  tough  vegetables,  pieces  of  nut  kernels, 
lumps  of  meat  or  any  other  coarse,  hard  substance. 

(3)  Probably  the  most  irritating  of  all  foods,  are  those 
that  contain  poisonous  ptomaines.  The  most  common 
foods  of  this  class  are  decaying  fruits,  decomposing  milk 
products  and  poorly-prepared  canned  goods.  Both  fresh 
and  canned  fish  are  frequent  sources  of  violent  gastric 
attacks,  because  they  are  often  tainted. 

(4)  Foods  frequently  contain  mineral  poisons  from 
the  vessels  in  which  they  have  been  kept. 

Irritating  Drugs. 
The  abuse  of  drugs  is  one  of  the  most  common  and 
potent  causes  of  disease;  especially  constipation  and  dys- 
pepsia. It  is  putting  it  mildly  to  say  that  not  a  few  have 
drug  mania.  Cathartics  act  by  irritating  the  mucous  mem- 
bran  of  the  digestive  tract,  and  every  time  it  is  irritated,  it 
is  likely  to  become  less  sensitive,  until  finally  the  ordinary 
contents  of  the  intestines  do  not  stimulate  it  to  action, 
which  necessitates  a  constant  repetition  of  irritating 
cathartics. 

Irregular  Eating. 
Nature  has  method  in  everv'thing,  and  we  are  naturally 
inclined  to  sleep  and  eat  at  regular  periods.  If  we  eat 
irregularly  we  break  the  rhythm  of  nature,  and  it  is  just 
as  bad  for  the  stomach  to  delay  eating  as  it  is  for  the 
quality  of  the  dinner  to  delay  after  it  is  prepared.     The 


IRREGULAR   HABITS  327 

stomach  cannot  keep  an  adequate  amount  of  digestive 
fluids  to  be  drawn  on  at  any  or  all  times.  But  this  is  not 
all.  Cioing  aii  extra  long  period  wilhuut  meals  causes 
acute  hunger  and  an  overloading  of  the  stomach;  and  an 
extra  short  period  does  not  give  time  for  the  stomach  to 
empty.  Many  people  eat  regularly  during  the  week,  but 
on  Sunday  they  disturb  the  regularity  of  the  system  by 
eating  a  hearty  breakfast  from  one  to  three  hours  later 
than  usual,  and  then  an  extra  large  dinner  within  four 
or  five  hours.  It  is  this  pernicious  practice  that  makes 
people  so  uncomfortable  and  dull  on  Sunday  and  unre- 
freshed  to  begin  a  week's  work  on  ^.londay. 
Evacuation  of  the  Bowels. 

A  frequent  cause  of  disease  in  the  cities  is  neglect  to 
evacuate  the  bowels.  Pressure  of  work  and  laziness  is 
assigned  as  a  reason.  The  calls  of  Nature  should  always 
be  promptly  met. 

Loss  of  Sleep. 

Sleep  and  rest  are  both  necessary;  without  them  the 
nervous  system  has  no  tone  and  there  is  general  languor. 
Late  hours  burn  the  candle  of  life  at  both  ends,  and 
night  revelers  sooner  or  later  pay  a  fearful  penalty,  for 
late-hour  gaiety. 

Excesses. 

All  excesses  disturb  the  system.  This  is  especially  true 
of  those  of  a  private  character. 

Tobacco. 

The  use  of  tobacco  is  both  vile  and  pernicious ;  and  the 
physical   wrecks,   directly  or  indirectly  due   to   tobacco, 
would  astonish  the  world  if  all  were  bunched  together. 
Dyspeptics  should  quit  tobacco. 
Dress. 

A  distinguished  New  York  specialist  reports  that  his 
books  show  that  thirty-four  per  cent,  of  the  women  treated 


328  EFFECTS  OF  DRESS 

have  displaced  stomachs,  whHe  only  six  per  cent,  of  the 
men  were  so  afflicted.  Of  the  females  treated,  the  prin- 
cipal factor  in  the  displacement  was  the  corset.  Of  the 
males,  probably  the  excessive  use  of  beer  and  other  liquids 
was  responsible  for  their  condition.  Figure  II  shows 
side-view  of  female  form.  The  dotted  lines  show  the  out- 
line of  a  "neat  waist"  and  "fine  form,"  after  the  adominal 
organs  have  been  displaced  by  the  corset. 

Fig  III  shows  front  view.  Tlie  outside  waist  lines  rep- 
resent the  natural  waist;  the  middle  dotted  waist  line  the 
waist  of  the  ordinary  corset-wearer,  who  says  that  she  does 
not  "lace;"  the  inside  dotted  v.-aist  line  shows  how  much 
the  corset  can  improve  Nature. 

Figure  IV  shows  natural  position  of  abdominal  organs. 

Figure  V  is  a  front  view  of  female,  showing  abdominal 
organs  as  displaced  by  corset-wearing. 
Heredity. 

No  one  can  doubt  the  tendencies  of  heredity.  Where 
both  parents  are  weak  their  children  will  likely  be  so  too; 
and  if  there  be  many  children,  some  will  be  stronger  and 
some  weaker  than  their  parents.  The  chief  crime  of 
parents  against  Nature  is  in  transmitting  nervous  tenden- 
cies that  make  the  child  seek  stimulants.  How  could  it 
be  othervvise,  when  parents  use  stimulants  from  the  time 
they  could  talk?  Can  you  blame  the  child- of  such  parents 
who  cries  for  strong  coffee?  By  beginning  early  in  life, 
hereditary  weakness  can,  in  the  main,  be  overcome,  so 
that  personal  responsibility  can  not  be  ignored,  because  of 
the  transgression  .of  our  parents. 

Local  and  General  Diseases. 

Local  and  general  diseases  are  often  most  strongly  man- 
ifested by  disorders  of  the  stomach.  This  is  especially 
true  of  lung  diseases — bronchitis  and  consumption.  In 
these  diseases,  repugnance  to  fats  is  often  one  of  the  first 
symptoms. 


Fio.  //. 


Side  view — female  form,   showing  natural   outlines. 
Dotted  lines  represent  the  change  due  tn  lacing. 


F,^.  III. 

Front  view — female  form. 

A.  Outline  of  natural  waist. 

B.  Outline  of  ordinary  form,  "not  laced." 

C.  Common  outlin:?  of  fashionable  waist. 

330 


Ro.  IV. 


Front  view — female  form,   showing  natural  position 
of  abdominal  organs,  lungs,  etc. 


Front  view  of  female,  showing  displecement  of  ab- 
dominal and  other  organs,  due  to  corset  wearing. 

335 


DISEASES  CAUSE  INDIGESTION  333 

Heart  Disease. 

Indig^estion  from  diseases  of  the  heart  is  doubtless  due 
to  disturbance  in  circulation;  but  it  should  be  borne  in 
mind  that  the  heart  is  much  more  likely  to  be  affected 
from  the  stomach,  than  the  stomach  is  from  the  heart. 
Diseases  of  the  Liver. 

The  stomach  is  probably  more  in  sympathy  with  the 
liver  than  any  other  organ;  not  so  much  from  the  assist- 
ance it  gives  in  digestion,  but  because  it  is  the  chief  organ 
for  removing  poison  from  tlie  blood,  which  may  cause 
indigestion  in  two  ways:  (1)  From  imperfect  elimina- 
tion of  nitrogenous  waste.  (2).  Reflexly,  by  constant 
irritation.  Of  the  latter,  painters,  workers  in  lead,  people 
living  in  newly  painted  houses,  are  the  ones  chiefly  af- 
fected. Formerly,  lead  water  pipes  were  sources  of  poi- 
soning, but  are  not  so  as  now  made ;  but  the  same  cannot 
be  said  of  face  powders.  These  arrest  digestive  secre- 
tions, and  greatly  diminish  the  churning  movements  of  the 
stomach. 

Diseases  of  the  Intestines. 

Diseases  of  the  intestines  are  almost  certain  to  afifect  the 
stomach,  probably  because  excessive  activity  hurries  the 
food  out  of  the  stomach  before  it  is  digested,  and  lack  of 
activity  has  the  opposite  effect.  It  may  still  have  another 
effect,  resulting  from  imperfect  digestion.  Intestinal  di- 
gestion being  very  important,  if  it  fails,  the  blood  will  not 
be  supplied  with  necessary  elements,  and  the  stomach 
may  show  the  ill  effect. 

Malaria. 

jNfalaria  is  likely  to  affect  digestion  from  several  causes. 
Fever  of  any  kind  diminishes  digestive  secretions  of  the 
stomach.     In  addition  to  this,  if  the  liver  is  overworked, 
it  cannot  perform  its  functions  perfectly. 
Diseases  of  the  Throat. 

These  mav  affect  the  stomach  in  two  wavs:  bv  reflex  irri- 


334  HEAT     COLD      LIGHT 

tation  and  from  pus,  or  mucus,  being  carried  to  the  stom- 
ach. 

Anything  that  irritates  the  fauces  may  cause  vomiting 
and  tickhng  the  throat  has  long  been  practiced  for  that 
purpose. 

Pregnancy  and  Female  Disorders. 

Pregnancy  is  frequently  accompanied  by  stomach  dis- 
turbance ;  especially  nausea,  vomiting  and  craving  for  par- 
ticular, and  often  peculiar,  articles  of  diet.  With  female 
diseases,'  there  is  frequently  associated  some  stomach 
trouble  which  results  from  the  particular  disease  and  dis- 
appears with  it.  Thus  the  physician,  in  treating  women 
for  stomach  trouble,  should  ascertain  whether  or  not  it 
is  simply  stomach  disease,  or  secondary  to  some  other  fe- 
male disorder. 

Heat  and  Cold. 

Excessive  heat  and  overexertion  cause  general  collapse ; 
but  the  indigestion,  common  to  hot  weather,  is  mainly 
due  to  cold  drinks  and  use  of  decaying  fruits.  Cold,  chills 
the  surface  ancl  disturbs  the  circulation,  causes  congestion, 
and  partially  arrests  the  elimination  of  waste. 
Pressure  on  the  Stomach. 

This  is  common  in  occupations  requiring  a  stooping 
attitude.  It  restrains  the  natural  activity  of  the  stomach 
and  interferes  with  digestion. 

Light. 

The  importance  of  light  is  often  overlooked.  ]\Ian  was 
never  inteded  to  live  in  a  cave  or  dungeon  and  work  by 
artificial  light,  and  those  who  do  so  pav  a  severe  penalty. 
Ordinarily,  people  are  not  seriously  afifected  by  slight  vio- 
lations of  the  principles  of  good  living,  if  not  too  long 
continued,  nor  too  many  of  them.  In  most  cases  of  ill- 
ness it  will  be  found  that  several  causes  operate  together 
to  produce  the  disease. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

DISEASES  OF  THE  STOMACH. 

Diseases  of  the  stomach  are  classified  as  follows: 
Nervous  dyspepsia,  neurosis  of  the  stomach,  gastric 
neurasthenia  and  gastralgia,  are  names  applied  to  various 
affections  of  the  stomach  that  have  their  origin  in  the 
nervous  system.  Acute  and  chronic  gastritis  designate 
acute  and  chronic  inflammations  of  the  stomach  of  a 
catarrhal  character.  Hyperchlorhydria  and  hypersecre- 
tion, apply  to  excessive  secretion  of  hydrochloric  acid  in 
the  stomach.  The  former  is  used  to  designate  the  exces- 
sive secretion  of  acid  during  meals;  the  latter  to  uninter- 
rupted secretion  without  any  relation  to  meals.  Ulcer  is 
a  sore  on  the  lining  membrane  of  the  stomach,  which,  in 
some  cases,  may  perforate  it.  A  dilated  stomach  is  one 
that  is  stretched  beyond  its  natural  size  and  remains  so. 
Cancer  is  a  tumor  of  the  stomach,  which  grows  more  or 
less  rapidly,  and  interferes  with  digestion.  This  classifi- 
cation is  made  according  to  the  manner  in  which  the  stom- 
ach is  locally  afifected,  rather  than  the  cause  of  the  disease 
or  the  symptoms  produced.  N'either  of  the  diseases 
named  have  all  symptoms  entirely  dififerent  from  other 
diseases  of  the  stomach,  but  usually  each  has  some  dis- 
tinguishing characteristic.  The  time  is  past  when  phy- 
sicians can  call  any  disease  of  the  stomach  dyspepsia  or 
indigestion,  and  stop  there.  The  modern  doctor  must 
now  determine  what  kind  of  indigestion  his  patient  nas, 
and  to  do  this  it  may  be  necessary  to  take  out  the  contents 
of  the  stomach  and  make  a  cher^ical  examination  of  it. 
The  fact  that  many  physicians  have  not  been  able  to  dif- 
ferentiate one  disease  of  the  stomach  from  another,  ex- 

335 


336  NERVOUS  DYSPEPSIA 

plains  why  so  many  dyspeptics  have  failed  to  be  benefited 
by  medical  treatment. 

Nervous  Dyspepsia. 
This  ailment  is  not  real!)'  a  disease,  only  a  local  mani- 
festation of  some  nerve  derangement.  It  differs  from 
all  otlier  diseases  of  the  stomach  in  this:  it  has  no 
anatomical  change  and  is  not  directly  due  to  any  altera- 
tion in  size  or  structure  of  the  stomach,  but  to  some  shock, 
strain,  nervous  exhaustion,  or  nerve  irritation  in  organs 
other  than  the  stomach.  Some  eminent  physicians  are 
disposed  to  charge  all  but  contagious  or  infectious  dis- 
eases to  some  functional  disturbance  of  the  nervous  sys- 
tem, but  it  seems  that  in  most  cases  the  theory  of  nervous 
origin  is,  "Putting  the  cart  before  the  horse" — the  effect  be- 
/  fore  the  cause.  Strictly  speaking,  the  term  nervous  dyspep- 
sia should  only  be  applied  to  diseases  or  symptoms  which 
result  from  mental  disturbances,  such  as  emotional  ex- 
citement, mental  worry,  or  mental  activity,  too  long  con- 
tinued without  rest;  but  for  practical  purposes  it  is  bet- 
ter to  class  all  derangements  of  the  stomach  directly  due 
to  the  causes  mentioned,  or  that  are  simply  reflex  from 
nerve  irritation  in  other  parts  of  the  body,  as  neuroses  of 
the  stomach.  Some  writers  have  heretofore  classed  both 
insufificient  and  excessive  secretion  as  of  nervous  origin, 
doubtless  because  they  were  attended  by  nervous  symp- 
toms. All  agree  that  it  is  extremely  difficult  to  deterrnine 
the  dividing  line  between  cause  and  effect.  We  have  in 
the  preceding  pages  shown  how  the  system  may  poison 
itself,  and  if  the  blood  contains  crude  or  poisonous  matter, 
it  is  very  likely  to  affect  the  nervous  system.  If  the  food 
supply  be.  of  stjch  a  character  that  it  cannot  be  digested, 
the  whole  systern  will  be  weakened,  and  fatigue  follow 
very  little  exertion,  and  if  lack  of  nourishment  affect:  the 
muscles  and  the  sensibilities,  whv  not  the  central  nervous 


NERVOUS  DYSPEPSIA  337 

system?  On  the  other  hand,  a  debihtated  nervous  sys- 
tem, from  extraordinary  worry  or  loss  of  sleep,  affects  the 
stomach.  As  to  whether  the  nervous  system  or  the  stom- 
ach is  the  primary  cause  of  the  nervous  symptoms,  would 
seem  to  depend  on  the  causes  in  operation  likely  to 
produce  them.  If  there  were  some  cause  of  extraor- 
dinary worry  and  loss  of  sleep,  the  indigestion  should  be 
considered  as  of  nervous  origin,  but  if  there  were  a  dispo- 
sition toward  unusual  worry  about  trifles  in  connection 
with  nervous  symptoms,  it  is  most  likely  due  to  some 
form  of  mal-nutrition,  or  self-poisoning.  But  few  people 
would  be  overworked  or  over-worried  if  they  were  prop- 
erly nourished;  and  by  this  we  do  not  mean  that  there 
has  necessarily  been  a  lack  of  nutritious  foods.  It  may 
be  because  of  the  inability  of  the  system  to  assimilate  the 
food  as  it  is  supplied.  As  people  mistreat  their  stomachs 
much  more  than  their  nervous  systems,  it  is  safe  to  con- 
sider that,  primarily^  it  is  not  overwork  that  causes  most 
nervous  attacks,  but  lack*  of  good  blood  and  excess  of 
poisonous  waste  in  the  system.  This  is  well  illustrated 
by  the  general  anaemic  condition,  common  to  most  per- 
sons suffering  from  nervous  dyspepsia.  The  disease  is 
much  more  common  to  women  than  men,  and  more  fre- 
quent under  forty  years  of  age  than  after  the  middle 
period  of  life. 

Nervous  dyspepsia  has  no  uniform  symptoms,  as  there 
may  be  lack  of  gastric  secretion  and  muscular  activity, 
an  excess  of  secretion,  or  extreme  irritability  of  the  nerves 
of  the  stomach. 

Symptoms. 

Where  there  is  lack  of  secretion,  or  lack  of  muscular 
activity,  the  symptoms  are  much  less  marked  than  the 
other  conditions.  Vomiting  only  takes  place  when  the 
food  has  long  remained  in  the  stomach  and  become  de- 


338  VOMITING  IN  PFEGNANCY 

composed.  In  the  mild  form  there  is  not  much  pain,  but 
a  sinking  sensation,  or  one  of  great  fullness  is  felt  after 
eating,  which  may  be  accompanied  by  slight  nausea  and 
dizziness.  In  severe  cases  the  stomach  will  not  tolerate 
any  food  at  all,  and  vomiting  occurs  almost  as  soon  as  the 
food  reaches  the  stomach.  Some  of  the  symptoms  of 
nervous  dyspepsia  are  found  in  other  diseases  of  the  stom- 
ach, but  there  is  usually  something  about  each  that  indi- 
cates to  which  class  it  belongs.  In  catarrh  of  the  stomach 
the  disagreeable  sensations  do  not  arise  until  some  time 
after  the  meals,  usually  three  or  four  hours,  unless  there 
is  an  acute  attack  and  great  irritation  of  the  stomach.  In 
some  cases  there  is  excessive  sensitiveness  of  the  mucous 
membrane  of  the  stomach,  and  the  pain  severe  and  the 
stomach  sensitive  to  pressure.  The  pain  is  more  general 
than  in  ulcer,  and  has  but  little  relation  to  meals  or  kind 
of  food,  while  the  pain  from  ulcer  is  much  more  intense 
when  coarse  vegetables  or  acids  are  ingested,  than  when 
the  stomach  is  empty  or  when  soft-proteid  foods  like  milk 
and  eggs  are  eaten.  In  the  form  of  nen^ous  dyspepsia 
known  as  gastralgia,  the  pain  in  the  region  of  the  stom- 
ach seemingly  radiates  in  all  directions.  It  occurs  quite 
independently  of  meals.  In  neurasthenia,  the  symptoms 
and  pain  are  generally  out  of  proportion  to  any  discover- 
able disease,  and  often  occur  when  there  has  been  no 
previous  history  of  dyspepsia.  Another  ciidracteristic  of 
nervous  dyspepsia  is  belching  of  air  or  gas,  without  re- 
gard to  w^hether  the  stomach  is  full  or  empty.  In  other 
diseases  of  the  stomach  the  belching  only  appears  when 
there  is  gaseous  fermentation  of  food  in  the  stomach. 
When  more  or  less  food  is  brought  up  instead  of  gas,  it 
is  called  regurgitation,  which  often  precedes  nervous  vom- 
iting. Sometimes  the  openings  of  the  stomacn  are  closed 
by  a  nervous  spasm,  or  the  pyloric  end  may,  for  a  time, 


DIET  IN  NERVOUS  DYSPEPSIA  339 

refuse  to  close  and  the  food  at  once  passes  into  the  in- 
testines, causing  diarrhoea. 

Voniiiing  in  Pregnancy. 

This  is  usually  called  "'morning  sickness,"  and  appears 
after  rising  in  the  morning,  when  the  patient  feels  faint, 
"light-headed"  and  nauseated.  When  this  occurs,  slowly 
sip  a  cup  of  hot  milk  or  meat  broth,  and  eat  a  dry  biscuit 
(cracker)  and  remain  in  bed  for  two  or  three  hours.  If 
the  stomach  be  foul,  drink  a  cup  of  hot  water  instead  of 
milk,  without  food. 

Aids  to  Treatment  of  Nervous  Dyspepsia. 

If  the  attack  be  due  to  overwork  or  worry,  rest  is  tht 
first  requisite;  but  if  from  emotional  excitement,  change 
in  surroundings  and  something  to  divert  the  mind  is  of 
great  importance.  When  there  is  general  neurasthenia  or 
hysteria,  the  patient  should  be  put  to  bed  and  kept  free 
■from  excitement  and  away  from  visitors. 
Diet. 

The  diet  must  be  easily  digested,  nutritious,  and  non- 
irritating.  If  the  stomach  be  inactive,  so  that  it  dOes  not 
readily  empty  itself,  the  diet  must  be  of  such  character  as 
will  not  quickly  ferment.  The  principal  foods  should  be 
malted  milk — pasteurized  or  sterilized — cream,  soft- 
cooked  or  whipped  eggs,  eggnog,  malted  gluten,  meat 
broths,  in  acute  cases.  Such  additional  foods  as  meat- 
pow^der,  toast  bread,  nut  oils,  butter,  malted  nuts,  may 
be  given  as  the  patient  progresses.  If  hot  milk  should 
be  vomited,  try  it  cold,  and  vice  versa.  It  may  be  of  great 
advantage  to  dilute  milk  with  gelatine.  If  not  convenient 
to  make  it,  a  refined  gelatine,  like  the  Keystone,  may  be 
used.  As  the  appetite  is  often  capricious,  it  may  be  of 
great  advantage  to  flavor  the  food  with  a  little  vanilla, 
lemon,  nutmeg,  or  fruit  flavors.  In  the  acute  or  severe 
cases,  a  little  food  should  be  given  at  short  periods.     It 


340  GASTRITIS 

may  be  necessary  to  begin  with  a  tablespoonful  of  milk. 
The  patient  must  take  as  much  nourishment  as  possible, 
but  must  not  be  crowded  beyond  what  can  be  digested. 
When  only  milk  is  fed,  it  should  ordinarily  be  given  every 
two  hours,  in  quantities  of  one  or  two  ounces  at  a  feed- 
ing for  the  first  few  feedings.  ^lost  patients  will  tolerate 
a  pint  and  a  half  of  milk  the  first  day,  and  twice  as  much 
the  second,  and  should  be  able  to  take  eggs  and  other 
food  the  third  or  fourth  day.  All  made  dishes,  tea,  coffee, 
and  fried  foods,  must  be  avoided. 

Acute  and  Chronic  Gastritis,  Usually  Called  Catarrh  of 
the  Stomach,  or  Bilious  Attacks. 

These  are  the  most  common  of  all  diseases  in  the  United 
States,  except  colds.  Very  few  people  escape  occasional 
gastric  attacks,  although  they  may  not  be  willing  to  admit 
the  fact.  It  is  indeed  a  strange  thing  that  people  will 
insist  that  almost  anything  ails  them  except  some  form 
of  indigestion  or  mal-nutrition. 

Gastritis,  or  catarrh  of  the  stomach,  is  the  every-day 
dyspepsia  of  the  world.  Its  causes,  briefly  re-stated,  are 
as  follows: 

Excess  of  food,  incompatible,  irritating  or  decompos- 
ing food,  poison  taken  in  or  originating  in  the  body,  ex- 
cessive heat,  and  disease  of  other  organs,  especially  the 
intestines. 

Symptoms. 

In  the  ordinary  catarrh  of  the  stomach  any  of  the  follow- 
ing symptoms  may  be  felt: 

Headache,  offensive  breath,  "bad  taste"  in  the  mouth, 
drowsiness,  nausea,  loss  of  appetite,  great  thirst,  vertigo, 
vomiting,  belching  some  hours  after  meals,  constipation 
or  diarrhoea,  lassitude,  aching  limbs,  cramps  of  the 
muscles  of  the  leg,  pain  after  eating,  flatulence,  heartburn, 
difficult  breathing,  palpitation  of  the  heart,  stomach  feels 


SYMPTOMS  OF  GASTRITIS  341 

like  it  had  a  weight  in  it,  tenderness  of  the  stomach,  erup- 
tion on  the  hps,  tongue  raw,  red  or  coated,  lack  of  energy, 
chilly  sensations  and  coldness  or  numbness  of  hands  and 
feet. 

The  acute  attacks  are  generally  called  "bilious  attacks," 
and  occur  most  frequently  in  the  night.  The  patient  will 
usually  be  wakened  by  pain,  and  in  some  cases  there  is  a 
feeling  of  nausea,  followed  by  vomiting  and  relief.  They 
may  occur  from  only  slight  or  accidental  causes,  but  when 
the  ailment  becomes  more  or  less  continuous  theyarethen 
termed  chronic.  Gastric  attacks  are  often  so  severe  that 
the  patient  thinks  death  imminent,  although  in  no  danger 
whatever.  Acute  gastritis  occurs  at  all  ages,  while  chronic 
gastritis  usually  occurs  in  middle  age  or  late  in  life,  due 
to  slowly-progressive  indigestion.  In  acute  cases  there 
is  only  congestion ;  but  when  chronic,  there  are  structural 
changes  in  the  stomach,  deficiency  in  digestive  secretions, 
an  excessive  secretion  of  mucus,  loss  of  absorptive  power 
and  muscular  activ'ity.  When  this  condition  exists,  foods 
difficult  to  dissolve,  like  salt  lean  meat,  especially  when 
fried,  and  coarse  vegetables,  will  disagree.  This  will  also 
be  true  of  foods  that  ferment  quickly,  such  as  custard 
puddings,  tapioca,  sweet  and  sweetened  fruits,  vinegar 
with  starch  of  any  kind.  Milk,  without  any  alteration, 
will  usually  disagree,  because  the  stomach  is  not  suffi- 
ciently active  to  break  up  the  curds. 
Diet. 

In  extremely  severe  cases  it  may  be  necessary  for  the 
patient  to  live  on  milk,  diluted  with  gelatine,  or  barley 
water,  or  it  may  be  malted  and  used  to  great  advantage 
with  malted  gluten.  All  fried  foods  must  be  eschewed, 
and  except  in  acute  attacks,  all  soups,  mushes  and  gruels 
must  be  sparingly  used.  The  diet  must  consist  mainly  of 
dry  foods,  thoroughly  masticated.     Saliva  and  thorough 


342  DIET  IN  GASTRITIS 

mastication  will  do  more  for  a  damaged  stomach  than 
almost  all  other  remedies.  The  stomach  must  be  strength- 
ened, by  giving  it  as  much  work  as  it  can  do  and  no  more. 
It  can  never  get  strong  without  plenty  of  nourishing 
food,  and  "slops''  will  not  do.  The  curse  of  the  Ameri- 
can stomach  is  slops,  water  and  chunks.  This  unfavorable 
mention  of  water  would  probably  please  a  Kentucky 
colonel,  but  the  objection  is  only  ip  the  manner  of  using 
it.  Dyspeptics  need  to  eat  as  great  variety  of  food  as  pos- 
sible, but  it  must  be  done  discreetly.  Foods  that  ferment 
quickly,  must  be  avoided,  or  when  used,  it  must  be  on 
an  empty  stomach,  or  with  easily-digested  foods.  If  the 
digestive  secretions  are  deficient,  meat  will  be  poorly 
tolerated,  and  an  exclusive  diet  of  meat  and  eggs  for  two 
or  three  days  will  determine  this.  The  cereals  are  the 
best  reliance,  although  if  complicated  with  severe  intesti- 
nal disorders,  only  gluten  should  be  used,  with  such  foods 
as  meat,  milk  and  eggs.  As  an  aid  to  curing  constipation, 
there  is  nothing  equal  to  the  bran  of  cereals,  when  finely 
ground.  If  not  convenient  to  take  foods  containing 
fine  bran,  it  will  be  advisable  to  boil  it  for  three  hours, 
then  roast  until  brown.  It  should  then  be  ground  as  fine 
as  possible.  If  desired,  flavoring  matter  may  be  added 
to  make  it  palatable.  Graham  bread  is  objectionable,  be- 
cause the  bran  is  too  coarse.  Where  the  stomach  is 
greatly  inflamed,  sour  fruits  are  not  allowable,  but  in 
chronic  cases  of  mere  sluggishness  they  are  of  great  ben- 
efit, if  eaten  at  proper  time,  without  sugar.  Tt  loo  sour,  a 
little  bicarbonate  of  soda  (baking  soda)  may  be  added 
while  cooking.  Sweet  fruits  may  be  eaten  when  the  stom- 
ach is  empty,  but  if  it  contains  the  residue  of  a  meal  that 
has  soured,,  they  will  quickly  produce  flatulence.  When 
the  stomach  is  very  weak,  it  will  .be  necessary  to  take 
small  quantities  of  food  every  two  or  three  hours  during 


EXCESSIVE  SECRETION  343 

the  day;  but  in  chronic  cases,  where  the  stomach  will 
do  its  work,  if  given  plenty  of  time,  two  meals  a  day,  eight 
or  nine  hours  apart,  will  be  far  better  than  three  or  more. 
The  patient  must  early  learn  that  a  suitable  diet  will  do 
far  more  to  effect  a  cure  than  any  drugs.  As  an  artifi- 
cial aid  to  digestion,  very  good  results  are  sometimes  ob- 
tained from  malt  tea.     It  may  be  made  as  follows: 

Take  three  or  four  large  tablespoonfuls  of  malt  and 
steep  it  in  a  half-pmt  of  cold  water  ten  or  twelve  hours. 
Decant,  bottle,  and  keep  in  cold  place.  One  or  two  table- 
spoonfuls  may  be  used  at  meals  with  a  little  milk  and 
hot  water. 

Diseases  of  Excessive  Secretion.     Hyperchlorhydria,  Hy- 
persecretion and  Ulcer. 

These  diseases  are  closely  related  and  usually  repre- 
sent the  first,   second  and   third   stages,   although   it  is 
claimed  that  hypersecretion  may  commence  suddenly. 
Causes  of  Excessive  Secretion. 

Excessive  use  of  alcohol,  mustard,  pepper  and  other 
condiments.  The  use  of  ices.  Too  rapid  eating  for  a 
number  of  years.  Indigestible  food,  grief,  worry  and  pres- 
svire  on  the  stomach.  The  disease  may  commence  sud- 
denly or  gradually. 

Symptoms. 

The  principal  symptoms  in  excessive  secretion  is  pain. 
It  may  begin  with  mere  uneasiness,  one  or  two  hours  after 
meals,  or  with  sharp,  stinging  pain.  The  excessive 
amount  of  acid  irritates  the  stomach,  and  as  soon  as  diges- 
tion in  the  stomach  is  completed  (usually  from  two  to 
three  hours)  the  pain  begins.  In  severe  cases  there  may 
be  an  attack  after  every  meal,  the  one  after  breakfast  will 
be  the  lightest,  and  the  one  after  dinner  the  most  severe. 
Often  a  little  hot  acid  liquid  will  be  belched.  The  pain  is 
often  sharp  and  severe,  and  is  usually  called  cramps.     It 


344  EXCESSIVE  SECRETION 

may  be  relieved  by  taking-  a  drink  of  water,  which  dilutes 
the  irritating  acid,  or  by  eating  a  soft  eg-g. 

Appetite  is  usually  good  and  the  tongue  clean.  There 
is  no  flatulence;  no  feeling  of  fullness.  If  meat  or  eg-gs 
be  given  every  three  hours,  and  it  is  well  tolerated,  it  is 
suggestive  of  excessive  secretion,  because  meats  are  slowly 
digested,  when  the  secretion  is  deficient.  If  nothing  but 
starch  be  taken  when  there  is  excessive  secretion,  it  may 
remain  in  the  stomach  a  day  or  two.  The  symptoms  of 
excessive  secretion  are  different  from  other  diseases  in 
this:  In  nervous  dyspepsia,  there  is  no  timt;  relation  to 
meals.  In  gastritis  there  is  more  nausea  and  flatulence, 
a  furred  tongue,  and  the  pain  less  sharp,  and  not  relieved 
by  food. 

This  is,  ordinarily,  only  an  advanced  state  of  excessive 
secretion,  although  some  specialists  say  that  it  may  begin 
suddenly,  but,  in  such  cases,  it  is  more  than  probable  that 
it  is  a  sudden  manifestation  of  what  has  long  existed. 
The  symptoms  are  similar  to  excessive  secretion,  only 
more  pronounced.  Hunger  is  more  acute.  Patient  may 
wake  up  in  the  night  with  an  "all  gone"  sensation,  and  if 
nothing  be  eaten,  there  will  be  severe  pair.  Thirst  is  con- 
stant, especially  at  night.  The  attacks  are  generally  worse 
in  the  middle  of  the  nig^ht,  and  last  two  or  three  hours, 
and  terminate  by  vomiting,  which  relieves  the  pain.  An- 
other characteristic  symptom  is  diarrhoea  in  the  night, 
due  to  the  excessive  acid  condition  of  the  food  discharged 
into  the  intestines,  and  to  the  large  quantities  of  fluid 
drank.  This  may  be  followed  by  constipation.  Notwith- 
standing the  voracious  appetite,  and  large  amount  of  food 
eaten,  the  patient  usually  gets  thinner.  The  tongue  is  sel- 
dom furred,  and  likely  to  be  very  red.  Probably  the 
easiest  way  to  distinguish  hypersecretion  from  other  dis- 
eases, is  by  the  matter  vomited.     If  the  vomit  shows  that 


DIET  IN  EXCESSIVE  SECRETION  345 

the  lean  meat  is  practically  all  dissolved,  and  the  bread-stuff 
unchanged,  it  points  strongly  to  hypersecretion.     Where 
the  excessive   secretion   has   long  been   continued,   the 
stomach  is  almost  certain  to  be  dilated. 
Diet. 

A  meat  diet  is  usually  prescribed  in  excessive  secretion, 
on  the  theory  that  meats  are  easily  digested  in  an  acid 
stomach,  and  starches  difficult.  This  is  true.  And  it  is 
also  true  that  meat  furnishes  the  system  more  hydro- 
chloric acid  than  any  other  food.  Now,  in  ekcessive  se- 
cretion, the  object  is  to  reduce  it,  and  what  more  rational 
method  can  be  proposed  than  to  withhold  foods  that  make 
most  hydrochloric  acid?  Diet  in  this  disease  must  be  as 
bland  as  possible,  and  as  milk  is  well  tolerated,  if  diluted 
as  heretofore  described,  it  is  the  best  of  all  foods.  Of 
meats,  fresh  fish  is  the  easiest  digested,  and  of  most  serv- 
ice in  excessive  secretion. 

In  catarrh  of  the  stomach  it  is  necessary  to  have  the  food 
finely  divided,  so  that  it  can  be  dissolved.  In  excessive  se- 
cretion, it  is  necessary  to  have  it  as  fine  as  can  be  pow- 
dered, so  that  it  will  not  irritate  the  stomach,  and  excite  the 
secretion  of  more  acid. 

The  chief  difficulty  is  in  the  digestion  of  starches,  and  it 
IS  not  easy  to  prevent  loss  of  weight  without  them.  Con- 
tinued loss  of  weight,  means  loss  of  strength,  and  great 
care  must  be  taken  to  maintain  it.  Bromose  (malted 
nuts),  cream,  nut  oils,  and  the  fat  of  boiled  ham,  will  be 
useful  in  furnishing  fuel  for  the  body.  If  the  stomach  can 
be  washed  out  once  a  day,  considerable  dry  toast  may  be 
eaten  soon  after,  if  taken  without  any  liquid,  and  thor- 
oughly mixed  with  saliva.  Malt  will  also  be  serviceable, 
and  malted  gluten  should  be  used  in  preference  to  meat  or 
meat  powder.  Sour  fruits  are  not  suitable,  but  such  fruits 
as  bananas,  sweet  grapes   and  pears  can  be  eaten,  unless 


346  ULCER 

there  be  dilatation  of  the  stomach.  In  such  cases  foods 
that  ferment  quickly  must  be  avoided.  The  cereals  must 
be  extra  well  cooked,  and  then  roasted  brown  and  pow- 
dered, and  th'en  eaten  dry.  If  the  stomach  is  not  washed, 
a  half  pint  or  pint  of  cold  water  or  ni'oderately  cold  alka- 
line mineral  w^ater  may  be  drank  a  half  hour  before  meals 
and  before  retiring  at  night.  Mucilaginous  drinks,  made 
by  steeping  "slippery  elm"  (ulmus  fulva)  in  cold  water, 
may  be  drank  before  or  after  meals. 

If  there  is  no  dilatation  of  the  stomach,  the  patient 
should  eat  as  often  as  every  four  hours.  The  bowels 
should  be  kept  active  by  massage.  All  irritating  sub- 
stances such  as  pepper,  nuistard,  raw  vegetables,  vinegar, 
sage  and  cheese,  must  be  shunned  as  enemies.  A  few 
grains  of  salt  may  be  used  in  the  food,  but  the  less  the 
better.  Very  hot  drinks  are  absolutely  prohibited,  espec- 
ially where  there  is  a  possibility  of  ulcer. 
Ulcer. 

The  question  is  sometimes  asked,  why  don't  the  stom- 
ach digest  itself?  If  an  animal  or  human  being  be  sud- 
denly killed  during  digestion,  the  stomach  will  digest 
itself  to  a  considerable  extent.  In  the  living  stomach  it  is 
supposed  that  a  continuous  supply  of  fresh  blood  protects 
it  from  its  own  secretion.  It  would  follow  that  if  the  cir- 
culation in  some  part  w-as  partially,  or  wholly  destroyed, 
that  the  stomach  might  dissolve  itself.  In  excessive  secre- 
tion, the  strong  acid  probably  erodes  the  membranes  in 
the  stomach,  which  develop  into  ulcer,  if  the  causes  pro- 
ducing the  erosion  are  long  continued. 

Proljably  the  prmcipal  cause  is  pressure  on  the  stomach, 
from  a  faulty  system  of  dress.  Other  causes  are  indi- 
gestion, irritating  foods,  and  a  general  neurotic  condition 
of  the  system  which  seems  to  he  closely  associated  with 
ulcer.  It  is  most  commonly  found  in  females  between  the 
ages  of  twenty  and  forty. 


DIET  IN  ULCER  347 

The  common  location  of  ulcer  is  near  the  pyloric  end 
of  the  stomach  or  on  the  anterior  wall.  It  is  also  found 
in  the  intestines.  The  ni'jst  characteristic  symptom  is 
pain  at  the  exact  spot  of  the  ulcer,  and  immediately  op- 
posite in  the  back.  The  stomach  is  often  sensitive  to  pres- 
sure from  other  diseases,  but  in  ulcer  it  is  particularly  sen- 
sitive to  pressure  at  the  exact  spot  where  it  is  located. 
The  pain  follows  the  indigestion  of  foods,  and  bread 
or  vegetables  give  much  more  than  milk  or  soft  eggs.  If 
vomiting  takes  place,  the  pain  is  relieved.  One  of  the 
symptoms  most  relied  on  is  hemorrhages,  and  when  blood 
is  vomited,  and  attended  by  the  other  symptoms  com- 
mon to  ulcer,  it  is  almost  conclusive  that  ulcer  exists.  The 
patient  generally  grows  progressively  thinner,  unless  prop- 
erly treated,  and  when  fatal  dies  of  starvation  or  perfor- 
ation. There  is  a  form  of  ulcer  called  peptic  ulcer,  in 
which  the  characteristic  symptoms  of  ulcer  are  absent. 
These  cases  are  rare,  but  extremely  difficult  to  diagnose. 

A  patient  with  ulcer  of  the  stomach  should  be  put  to 
bed,  and  no  foood  given  in  the  regular  way,  except  sips 
of  ice  w^ater  or  cracked  ice.  The  nourishment  must  be 
administered  through  the  rectum,  until  the  ulcer  heals. 
The  rectum  must  first  be  cleansed  by  an  injection  of 
water,  and  then  about  three  to  four  ounces  of  pancreatin- 
ized  meat  powder,  milk,  or  milk  and  eggs  pancreatinizcd, 
should  be  administered.  Some  use  a  20;^  solution  of 
sugar,  beaten  with  three  eggs.  Whichever  nourished  the 
patient  most  should  be  used,  but  ordinarily  eggs  and 
milk,  equal  parts,  with  a  pinch  of  salt,  will  be  found  most- 
useful.  Five  or  six  feedings  a  day  will  be  necessary, 
and  one  of  them  nnist  be  water,  to  be  retained  for  absorp- 
tion, as  water  is  as  necessary  as  food. 

When  the  stomach  is  healed  sufificiently,  feeding  may 
be  resumed  by  giving  a  teaspoonful  of  cold  milk  to  begin 


348  CANCER 

witli,  but  it  would  be  advisable  to  first  cleanse  the  mouth 
with  some  antiseptic  wash.  A  few  grains  of  powdered 
l)oracic  acid  with  a  little  water  and  tooth  brush  will 
answer.  If  a  teaspoonful  of  milk  is  tolerated,  two  tea- 
spoonfuls  may  be  given  at  the  second  feeding  and  so  on, 
increasing  slowly,  until  the  patient  can  take  four  or  more 
ounces  at  a  feeding,  every  two  or  three  hours.  As  feed- 
ing by  the  stomach  is  resumed,  the  rectal  feeding  should  be 
discontinued  at  a  rate  of  one  feeding  a  day.  The  principal 
diet  in  ulcer  is  milk  and  ice  cream,  which  should  be  plain- 
ly made.  It  would  be  well  not  to  be  too  hasty  in  in- 
creasing the  diet  in  ulcer,  for  it  may  be  necessary  to  live 
on  milk  and  ice  cream  for  some  months.  The  first  ad- 
dition to  the  milk  except  milk  diluents,  that  is  allowable, 
is  one  egg  beaten  and  eaten  with  the  milk.  Hot  dishes 
are  positively  forbidden,  as  they  are  likely  to  cause 
hemorrhage.  Durmg  convalescence  the  diet  should  be 
similar  to  that  in  excessive  secretion. 

Cancer  of  the  stomach  is  so  uncommon,  as  to  scarcely 
deserve  mention.  \^arious  theories  as  to  its  origin  have 
been  proposed,  but  they  are  purely  speculative.  The 
origin  is  unknown,  further  than  that  It  appears  to  be  a 
hereditary  tendency  in  a  fcAv  families.  It  usually  appears 
in  middle  life  or  old  age.  In  the  early  stages  of  cancer  it 
is  difficult  to  diagnose  as  the  symptoms  resemble  other 
forms  of  dyspepsia. 

Cancer  has  one  characteristic  different  from  all  other 
diseases  of  the  stomach.  It  is  steadily  progressive,  and 
the  end  soon  reached.  There  is  a  gradual  loss  of  weight, 
tumor  in  the  region  of  the  stomach,  frequent  vomiting, 
and  there  may  be  either  constipation  or  diarrhoea.  Nearly 
all  the  diseases  of  the  stomach  are  more  or  less  intermit- 
tent, except  cancer,  and  it  is  usually  fatal  in  less  than  a 
vear  and  a  half.     If  the  disease  has  been  recurrent,  or  con- 


ENLARGED  STOMACH  349 

tinned  for  a  much  longer  time  than  stated,  it  is  not  a  can- 
cer. The  diet  should  consist  of  milk,  eggs,  meat  powder, 
nut  meal,  baked  apples,  cream  and  nut  oils. 

The  stomach  is  an  elastic  pouch,  and  when  it  is  filled 
with  large  quantities  of  food,  water  or  gas,  it  becomes  dis- 
tended. This  weakens  its  walls,  and  whenever  it  will  not 
contract  to  its  natural  size,  after  being  distended,  it  is 
said  to  be  dilated.  Prior  to  1885,  dilatation  of  the  stomach 
had  received  but  little  or  no  attention,  and  the  relation  it 
bore  to  many  diseases  was  unknown. 

The  direct  cause  is  continued  over-distention,  from 
either  food,  water  or  gas.  The  injury  of  over-eating  is 
well  known,  but  over-drinking  is  equally  bad,  though  not 
so  common  a  cause  of  dilatation  of  the  stomach.  Dis- 
tention from  gas  results  from  the  putrefaction  of  foods 
due  to  indigestion  or  partial  closing  of  the  pylorus,  called 
stricture.  Whatever  prevents  the  stomach  emptying  be- 
tween meals,  will  cause  abnormal  fermentation  and  dis- 
tention from  gas.  These  causes  have  been  discussed  so 
thoroughly  under  causes  of  disease  of  the  stomach,  they 
need  not  again  be  repeated. 

The  symptoms  are  both  local  and  general.  It  often 
happens  that  the  stomach  symptoms  are  not  very  pro- 
nounced, and  both  patient  and  physician  are  misled.  Of 
the  local  symptoms,  flatulency  is  the  most  common. 
When  the  stomach  is  most  distended,  the  abdominal  out- 
line is  greatly  enlarged.  If  this  be  due  to  gases,  the  en- 
largement begins  at  the  lower  end  of  the  sternum,  but 
when  due  to  the  use  of  large  quantities  of  water  and  beer 
the  enlargement  of  the  abdomen  is  lower.  The  dififerent 
aspects  compared  with  the  natural  outline  (side  view  of 
male  form)  are  illustrated  in  figure  VT.  Dotted  line  at  A 
shows  prominence  of  dilated  stomach,  beginning  at  end  of 
the  sternum,  while  dotted  line  at  B  merely  shows  di?- 


Fio.  VI 


Side  view  of  male  figure. 

A  shows  prominence  due  to  dilated  stomach ,  without  abdominal  distention 
B  shows  abdominal  distention  common  in  obesity,  etc.  Both  con- 
ditions frequently  exist  in  same  person. 

350 


J — 


E.— 


/— --H 


Fig.  yii. 


A  Cardiac  opening  of  the  stomach.  B  Normal  py- 
loric end.  C  Constricted  pyloric  end.  D  Gall  bladder. 
E  Opening  of  gall  bladder  into  intestines.  F  Greater 
curvature  of  the  stomach.  G  Lesser  curvature.  H  Out- 
line of  dilated  stomach.  I  Folds  of  stomach  J  douodenum. 


352  SYMPTOMS  IN  DILATATION 

tended  abdomen.  Where  both  conditions  exist,  the  en- 
largement begins  at  A,  and  extends  with  increasing  prom- 
inence to  abdomen.  We  have  seen  a  few  cases  where  the 
stomach  was  so  greatly  dilated,  that  it  would  hold  over 
four  gallons.  A  simple  way  to  estimate  the  size  of  a 
patient's  stomach  is  to  administer  seidlitz  powders  un- 
mixed, or  by  inflating  with  inserted  stomach  tube.  Have 
the  patient  lie  flat  on  the  back.  This  will  indicate  the 
marginal  outlines  of  the  stomach.  In  most  cases  of  di- 
latation, there  will  be  but  very  little  pain,  but  where  there 
is  stricture  of  the  pylorus,  it  is  usually  preceded  by  ulcer 
and  excessive  secretion,  which  are  both  painful. 

Figure  VII  shows  natural  stomach,  and  dotted  lines 
indicate  a  dilated  stomach  due  to  stricture  of  the  pylorus. 
In  these  cases  the  outlet  of  the  stomach  is  narrowed  by 
ulcers  or  inflammations,  until  the  stomach  is  unable  to 
empty.  These  can  only  be  helped  by  surgical  operation. 
In  ordinary  dilatation  there  is  but  little  pain,  but  a  feeling 
of  fullness  and  weight  at  the  stomach  is  almost  constantly 
present.  There  is  also  frequent  belching  of  gas,  which 
begins  two  or  three  hours  after  meals.  Sour  liquid  or 
food  will  often  be  brought  up  with  the  gas  and  "heart- 
burn" will  likely  be  a  common  symptom.  The  general 
symptoms  of  dilatation  can  hardly  be  enumerated.  Ap-» 
petite  may  be  very  good,  excessive  or  poor.  Tongue 
usually  coated;  person  may  be  thin  or  corpulent;  often 
the  latter.  Constipation  is  persistent,  but  sometimes  alter- 
nated by  diarrhoea.  The  feces  are  fetid,  because  of  the 
putrefaction  it  has  undergone.     Dull  head-ache  and  nerv- 

(  ousness  are  common,  and  frequently  there  is  great  sensi- 
bility to   cold.     Exertion   quickly   exhausts.     Persistent 

i  insomnia  is  a  strong  indication  of  a  dilated  stomach,  and 
vertigo,  unusual  vision,  dropsy  of  the  limbs,  numbness, 
cold    extremities,    flushing    of    the    face,    night    sweats, 


DIET  IN  DILATATION  353 

asthma,  neuralgia,  eczema,  are  due  to  poisonous  matter 
taken  into  the  blood  from  putrefying  food.  One  of  the 
most  alarming  and  sometimes  fatal  effects  due  to  dilata- 
tion is  palpitation  of  the  heart.  The  enlarged  stomach 
presses  the  diaphragm  upward  against  the  neart,  causing 
heart  failure.  Alany  cases  of  sudden  death  in  the  night 
are  accompanied  with  the  announcement  that  the  person 
ate  a  hearty  supper,  which  probably  caused  the  stomach 
to  be  distended  with  gas,  and  that  in  turn  displaced  the 
heart  and  caused  heart  failure.  Too  many  people  imagine 
that  because  their  digestive  organs  do  not  double  them 
over  with  pain,  that  they  are  all  right,  whereas  if  their 
food  supply  and  digestion  were  all  right,  and  the  waste 
eliminated  there  would  ordinarily  he  no  distressing 
symptoms  of  any  kind,  except  from  contagious  diseases. 
Diet. 
The  diet  must  be  free  from  bacteria,  and  of  a  character 
that  does  not  quickly  ferment.  As  a  general  rule,  the 
digestive  secretions  will  be  deficient  in  a  dilated  stomach. 
This  is  especially  true  of  chronic  cases  of  long  standing. 
Where  the  pylorus  is  pardy  contracted,  so  that  the  outlet 
of  the  stomach  is  reduced,  there  will  likely  be  excessive 
secretion,  and  then  the  stomach  has  to  contend  with  its 
own  acid,  and  those  due  to  excessive  fermentation.  These 
cases  however,  are  not  the  ordinary  ones.  When  the 
stomach  is  dilated,  plain  milk  will  usually  disagree.  It 
should  be  taken  with  a  teaspoon,  and  each  spoonful  kept 
in  the  mouth  a  while  (a  minute  or  two).  The  food  should 
be  dry,  and  no  drinks  taken  with  it.  All  starchy  food 
should  be  cooked  an  extra  long  time,  and  cereals  should 
be  both  boiled  and  roasted.  Fresh  doughy  bread  must  be 
avoided  entirely,  and  all  bread  should  be  thoroughly 
baked,  and  should  then  be  sliced,  and  baked  again. 
Sugar  and  sweet  fruits,  sweetened  pastry,  syrup,  preserves, 


354  DIET  IN  DILATATION 

jellies,  and  all  sweetened  foods,  must  be  kept  out  of  the 
dietary.  Cooked,  roasted,  ground  and  crushed  cereals, 
should  be  substituted  as  far  as  possible  for  bread,  so  as  to 
avoid  the  yeast  ferment  and  baking  powders.  Granose 
biscuits  are  as  good  a  food  for  dilated  stomachs  as  can 
be  found.  All  cured  meats  and  preserved  foods  are  to  be 
avoided,  also  all  fried  foods.  Meat  and  eggs  can  only 
be  partaken  of  in  small  quantities,  and  must  never  be  fried. 
Peas  and  beans  will  be  too  sond,  unless  ground.  So  will 
nuts,  but  finely  powdered  nut  meal  witli  sour  fruits  will 
often  agree  better  than  any  other  food.  Such  stimulating- 
foods  as  cooked  onions  without  fat  may  be  useful.  Fine- 
ly ground  wheat  bran  will  be  a  great  aid,  as  it  stimulates 
the  digestive  organs  without  obstructing  or  causing  an 
excessive  irritation.  All  stale  fruits  or  other  foods,  except 
bread,  are  likely  to  ferment  qu-ckly,  an<i  are  therefore  not 
suitable.  Rancid  butter,  or  hot  butter  is  bad  under  any 
circumstances,  and  particularly  so  for  slow  stomachs. 
Sterilized  cream,  nut  oils,  and  the  fat  of  ham  or  bacon, 
should  be  the  only  fats  used.  All  free  fats  are  objection- 
able, and  this  excludes  all  gravies.  Malted  gluten  can 
always  be  used,  and  malt  tea  is  an  aid  to  starch  digestion. 
The  patient  must  be  encouraged  to  eat  plenty  of  food,  as 
too  little  food  means  loss  of  strength,  to  resist  disease. 
This  can  be  accomplished  by  variety  of  foods  and  use  of 
flavors.  It  would  seem  to  be  hardly  necessary  to  say  that, 
pickles,  pastry,  condiments,  tea,  cofifee,  tobacco  and  beer 
should  be  left  for  those  who  have  no  regard  for  their  own 
welfare.  In  the  beginning,  tlie  dietetic  treatment  of  dila- 
tation it  is  essential  to  first  cleanse  the  stomach.  This 
should  be  done  with  a  siphon,  but  if  it  is  not  done,  the 
next  best  process  is  to  eat  a  light  dinner,  a  light  supper, 
and  then,  on  the  following  morning,  drink  a  half  pint  or 
more  of  alkaline  mineral  water,  an  hour  before  breakfast, 
and  then  knead  the  stomach  and  abdomen  for  at  least 


HYGIENH  IN  DILATATION  355 

twenty  minutes.  If  mineral  water  is  not  obtainable,  a  suit- 
able substitute  should  be  preseribed.  No  headway  ean  be 
made  as  long-  as  there  is  foul  matter  in  the  stomach.  Hot 
water  drinking  will  usually  do  more  harm  than  good,  be- 
cause the  stomach  is  already  too  much  relaxed.  After  the 
stomach  is  cleansed,  the  mouth  should  receive  attention. 
The  food  must  not  be  contaminated  by  decaying-  matter 
in  the  mouth.  Lemon  juice  will  cleanse  the  tongue  and 
membranes,  but  it  should  not  be  swallowed.  For  the 
teeth,  any  suitable  wash  may  be  employed  or  soap,  and  a 
brush  will  answer.  The  teeth  must  be  kept  in  condition  to 
masticate  the  food,  and  they  must  be  well  used  for  that 
purpose.  After  die  stomach  and  mouth  are  thoroughly 
cleansed,  begin  the  diet  with  sterilized  or  pasteurized  milk 
and  malted  gluten ;  or  a  soft  boiled  egg  with  granose  bis- 
cuit or  some  other  whole  wheat  food,  that  has  been  twice 
cooked.  Meals  must  be  reg-ular  and  not  closer  than  eight 
hours  apart,  except  in  acute  attacks.  Exercise,  baths  and 
pleasant  surroundings  are  all  important  aids,  and  should 
be  combined  with  regular  habits.  Every  patient  must  be 
impressed  with  the  fact  that  the  diet  and  habits  are  far 
more  to  be  relied  on  than  drugs.  The  notion  that 
chronic  stomach  troubles  can  be  cured  by  drugs  alone' 
cannot  be  too  quickly  dispelled. 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

DISEASES  OF  THE  INTESTINES,  PANCREAS  AND  LIVER. 

We  have  heretofore  described  (Chapter  II)  the  gen- 
eral structure  and  functions  of  the  intestines,  but  we  might 
again  emphasize  the  fact  that  a  very  important  part  of 
digestion  takes  place  here,  and  that  the  intestines  are  not 
a  smooth  channel  for  the  escape  of  waste,  but  have  nu- 
merous folds  and  tongue-like  projections  which  are  so 
constructed  that  they  absorb  portions  of*the  food  which 
is  then  mixed  with  the  blood,  and  carried  mainly  to  the 
liver. 

Now  if  the  food  remains  in  the  intestines  too  long  a  time, 
poisonous  matter  may  be  generated  and  carried  into  the 
general  circulatTon.  This  may  also  result  from  imperfect 
digestion,  as  the  entire  intestinal  tract  contains  bacteria  of 
various  kinds,  some  of  which  are  likely  to  be  very  active 
when  there  is  any  defect  in  natural  processes.  The  ordi- 
ary  diseases  of  the  intestines  are  such  as  hinder  digestion, 
absorption  and  the  elimination  of  waste.  Chief  among 
these  is  constipation,  and  it  can  be  truly  said  that  there  is 
no  ailment  in  America  so  common. 

No  definition  would  seem  to  be  needed  for  a  disease  so 
nearly  universal,  and  yet  there  are  many  mistaken  notions 
as  to  what  symptoms  clearly  indicate  its  existence.  It  is 
generally  supposed  that  daily,  or  at  least  frequent  stools,  is 
conclusive,  that  no  constipation  exists,  whereas  nature 
may  make  frequent  attempts,  yet  be  unable  to  fully  clear 
herself.  Whenever  the  waste  of  the  food  is  not  regularly 
and  completely  discharged,  there  is  constipation,  no  mat- 
ter how  frequent  the  stools. 

These  may  be  enumerated  as  follows: 


358  CAUSES  OF  CONSTIPATION 

1st.  The  habit  of  eating  food  that  contains  too  little 
waste,  ordinarily  called  cellulose. 

2nd.     Imperfect  mastication  of  food — too  rapid  eating. 

3rd.  Ice  water,  and  iced  drinks  generally,  also  iced 
foods. 

4th.     Failure  to  drink  sufficient  fluids  between  meals. 

5th.     Improper  admixture  of  foods. 

0th.  Over  eating,  i.  e.,  eating  so  much  tood  that  the 
stom.ach  is  undul}-  distended. 

7th.     Eating  too  little  food. 

8th.     Astringent  foods  and  drinks. 

9th.     Insufifici'ent  exercise.  , 

10th.     Lack  of  peristaltic  movements  of  the  bowels.  - 

11th.     Xeglect  to  evacute  the  bowels  daily. 

12th.     Irregularity  in  eating. 

13th.     Hereditary  weakness. 

14th.  InsufBcient  secretions  of  the  various  digestive 
organs. 

loth.     Eating  coarse,  insoluble  substances. 

16th.     Over-distention  of  the  abdominal  wall. 

17th.     Malaria. 

18th.  Drugs,  especially  cathartics,  opiates  and  astring- 
ents. 

19th.     Mental  influences. 

20th.     Chronic  diseases  of  the  mucous  membranes. 

21st.     Excessive  perspiration. 

22nd.  Dilatation  of  the  rectum  from  repeated  injec- 
tions of  large  quantities  of  water. 

23rd.  (a)  Pressure  on  intestines.  This  may  come  from 
tight  waist  bands,  corsets,  belts  or  clothing. 

(b)  Stooping  posture,  common  to  seamstresses,  stu- 
dents, bicycle  riders  and  others. 

(c)  From  pregnancy.  This  results  both  from  pressure 
and  from  general  inactivity  of  the  bowels,  common  to  this 
condition. 


EFFECTS  OF  CONSTIPATION  359 

24th.     Disease. 

The  effects  of  constipation  are  so  far-reaching,  as  to  be 
well-nigh  indescribable — they  cannot  be  enumerated. 
There  is  always  danger  that  toxic  substances  will  be  ab- 
soi'bed  into  the  system,  whicli  may  cause  merely  a  feeling 
of  discomfort,  or  disease  of  any  organ  of  the  body.  Aside 
from  this,  accumulation  of  fecal  matter  will  likely  dilate 
the  intestines  so  that  they  permanently  lose  their  con- 
tractile power.  This  is  one  of  the  reasons  why  chronic  ' 
constipation  is  so  hard  to  cure.  It  is  also  a  source  of 
pelvic  and  genital  irritation  out  of  which  arise  immorality 
and  even  crime.  Hemorrhoids  (piles)  is  another  common 
effect  of  constipation,  although  they  may  have  other 
causes.  The  most  common  symptom  of  constipation  is 
general  lassitude.  When  toxic  substances,  caused  by  re- 
tained fecal  matter  or  mal-fermentation  of  foods,  are 
absorbed,  the  nervous  system  is  quickly  affected.  Some- 
times there  will  be  increased  activity,  and  a  feeling  of 
unusual  vigor,  followed  by  flushes  of  heat,  which  cause 
the  face  to  burn.  This,  the  laity  often  mistake  for  fever, 
and  the  general  symptoms  of  auto-intoxication  are  often 
supposed  to  be  malaria  even  by  physicians  in  high  stand- 
ing. Other  manifestations  of  constipation  and  self  poi- 
soning are  headache,  indolence,  dullness,  sleeplessness, 
stupor,  loss  of  appetite,  vertigo,  burning  sensations  in  the 
stomach,  tenderness  of  the  gastric  region,  foul  breath, 
flatulence,  palpitation  of  the  heart,  pain  in  the  back,  and 
a  moody  and  irritable  disposition. 

The  use  of  cathartics — except  immediate  results  be  abso- 
lutely necessary — must  be  discontinued.  This  also  ap- 
plies to  all  habits  that  are  contrary  to  proper  living  as 
heretofore  laid  dowTi.  Meals  must  be  regular  every  day, 
includmg  Sunday,  and  ordinarily  should  not  be  closer  than 
six  hours  for  three  meals  a  day,  and  eight  hours  from 


360  BRAN  IN  CONSTIPATION 

breakfast  to  dinner,  with  two  meals  a  day.  This  is  im- 
perative. Foods  must  be  properly  cooked,  and  incompat- 
ible foods,  though  wholesome,  must  not  be  eaten  at  the 
same  time.  The  practice  of  eating  sour  fruits  and  then 
oat  meal  and  milk,  is  a  good  illustration.  The  porridge 
is  likely  to  get  but  little  saliva,  and  its  action  be  imme- 
diately arrested  by  the  acid  previously  taken.  Salivary 
digestion  will  ordinarily  be  arrested  in  the  stomach,  by 
its  secretions,  in  twenty  or  thirty  minutes  after  food  is 
ingested,  and  no  acid  should  ever  be  taken  with  starchy 
foods,  nor  sooner  than  twenty  minutes  afterward. 

It  is  very  important  that  all  food  be  thoroughly  masti- 
cated, because  it  facilitates  digestion,  prevents  gaseous 
distention  and  obstruction  of  the  bowels.  The  quantity 
must  also  be  adapted — neither  too  little  nor  too  great  ex- 
cess. Too  little  food  weakens,  and  too  much  over-works 
and  in  a  sense,  paralyzes.  No  food  exerts  as  good  effect 
on  sluggish  bowels  as  fine  bran.  Coarse  bran  used  in 
graham  bread — frequently  prescribed  by  physicians — • 
sometimes  obstructs  the  bowels  and  leads  to  grave  con- 
sequences. 

Next  to  over-eating,  the  habit  of  drinking  large  quanti- 
ties of  cofifee,  tea,  or  ice  water,  with  meals  must  be  avoided. 
The  digestive  secretions  must  not  be  greatly  diluted.  Small 
quantities  of  moderately  warm  fluid  may  be  taken  with 
meals,  but  the  habit  of  pouring  in  liquids  three  times  as 
fast  as  they  can  be  absorbed,  greatly  interferes  with  diges- 
tion. Every  constipated  person  should  make  it  a  regular 
practice  to  take  a  drink  of  water  about  four  hours  after 
meals,  at  bed  time,  and  a  half  hour  before  breakfast.  As- 
tringent foods  such  as  blackberries,  raspberries,  blueber- 
ries, elderberries,  persimmons,  quinces,  some  varieties 
(puckery  ones)  of  pears  are  constipating  and  should  be 
avoided.     Those  who  take  but  little  exercise,  should  par- 


DIET  IN  CONSTIPATION  361 

take  sparingly  of  white  bread,  cg^gs,  milk,  lean  meat, 
sugar,  and  all  alcoholic  liqiu)rs.  These  have  too  little 
waste  material  for  an  exclusive  diet,  except  for  such  labor 
as  gives  great  abdominal,  as  well  as  general  exercise. 
Torpid  bowels  must  have  some  stimulation,  from  bran, 
fiber,  seeds  or  acids.  On  account  of  the  fine  bran,  digest- 
ibility, and  nourishing  properties,  the  health  foods  hereto- 
fore described  are  great  aids  in  the  cure  and  prevention 
of  constipation.  It  is  not  desirable  to  use  irritating  sub- 
stances to  such  an  extent  as  to  cause  the  intestines  to  lose 
their  sensibility.  This  is  very  important  and  often  over- 
looked. Bran  is  nature's  specific  for  constipation,  but  as 
modern  man  has  become  accustomed  to  have  all  food 
ground,  it  is  almost  impossible  to  get  any  one  to  suf- 
ficiently masticate  it  v^ithout  regrinding.  Where  foods 
containing  fine  bran  cannot  be  had,  it  may  be  washed, 
boiled,  roasted  and  reground,  and  then  eaten  with  any 
food  or  flavor  most  palatable.  There  is  no  reason  why  the 
bran  so  treated  should  not  be  mixed  with  flour — 'One  part 
to  three  or  four  of  flour — and  made  into  bread.  Nearly 
all  garden  vegetables  contain  a  large  amount  of  fiber,  but. 
because  of  their  coarseness  they  are  hard  to  digest  and 
often  fail  to  produce  the  desired  effect,  because  of  the  flatu- 
lence they  may  produce.  An  intestine  distended  with 
gas,  cannot  contract  and  propel  its  contents. 

Some  foods  affect  the  nervous  system  of  a  few  persons, 
so  that  they  act  on  the  bowels  at  once.  Idiosyncrasies 
must  always  be  reckoned  with,  but  the  following  are  the 
most  useful  of  the  foods  that  might  be  classed  as  laxative: 

Water;  wheat  preparations  containing  fine  bran;  rolled 
oats;  bran  boiled,  roasted  and  reground;  corn  bread,  corn 
mush  and  rye  bread;  string  beans,  (fiber);  greens,  (fiber); 
strawberries,  (acid  and  seeds);  figs,  (seeds);  apples,  (acid 
and  water);  peaches,  (acid  and  water);  lemons  and 
oranges,  (acids);  cream  and  nut  oils. 


362  LAXATIVE  FOODS 

Exercise  is  a  great  aid  to  good  liealth,  but  its  effect  on 
constipation  is  somewhat  exaggerated.  There  are  many 
whose  employment  requires  great  activity,  but  yet  they 
suffer  from  constipation.  The  exercise  that  directly  com- 
bats constipation  must  be  abdominal,  which  requires 
movements  of  the  body  rather  than  the  legs.  Striking, 
bending  backward  and  forward,  and  kneading  the  abdo- 
men from  right  to  left  and  downward,  is  almost  certain  to 
be  effective.  Alternate  hot  and  cold  douches  of  the  abdo- 
men are  sometimes  very  effective.  The  influence  of  the 
mind  is  far  greater  than  many  suppose.  A  determination 
to  stool  at  a  certain  time  every  day  is  very  important.  The 
modern  closet  is  very  faulty  as  the  sitting  posture  is  un- 
natural. The  weight  of  the  body  should  be  borne  on  the 
ieet  and  arms  without  any  pressure  on  the  buttocks. 

Whatever  aids  the  general  health  is  of  value,  and  must 
not  be  lost  sight  of. 

Proper  clothing,  baths,  ventilation  of  shops  and  houses, 
with  ample  time  for  sleep,  combined  with  a  suitable  diet  as 
herein  oudined,  will  make  the  old  feel  young,  and  give  the 
young  renewed  energy. 

Diarrhoea. 

This  is  also  a  very  common  complaint,  and  a  common 
effect  of  constipation.  When  fecal  matter  is  long  retained 
in  the  bowels  it  may  cause  an  irritation  and  diarrhoea — 
nature's  way  of  relieving  herself.  This  is  a  frequent 
source  of  diarrhoea — the  kind  that  alternates  with  consti- 
pation. Other  causes  of  diarrhoea  are  indigestion,  an  ex- 
cessively acid  chyme,  poisonous  pt^manies  in  decayed 
food,  nervousness,  and  disease  of  other  organs. 

Acrid  and  solid  substances  that  resist  the  disintegrating 
action  of  the  digestive  secretions,  often  cause  diarrhoea. 
The  effect  of  green  apples  is  well  known.  Green  corn  and 
peas  often  produce  similar  results.     This  is  because  of  the 


DIARRHOEA  363 

tough  cellulose  covering  that  envelops  them.  Oatmeal 
causes  a  few  persons  to  have  diarrhoea  and  large  quan- 
tities of  sweet  cider  is  almost  certain  to  produce  it.  What 
causes  it  iii  one^  may  have  little  or  no  effect  on  another, 
because  the  intestinal  membrane  of  different  persons  are 
not  equally  sensitive  to  irritating  substances.  In  case  of 
indigestion,  mal-fermentation  may  cause  the  intestinal 
contents  to  become  sufihciently  irritating  to  cause  diarr- 
hoea. The  diarrhoea  resulting  from  excessive  acid  chyme 
usually  appears  in  the  night  in  connection  with  an  attack 
of  gastritis,  because  the  stomach  secretes  too  much  acid 
which  irritates  the  intestines  as  soon  as  it  passes  out  of 
the  stomach.  In  the  Summer  season,  decaying  fruit  is 
a  prolific  source  of  diarrhoea.  The  toxic  substances  such 
fruit  contains,  deranges  digestion  and  irritates  the  mucous 
membranes.  Diarrhoea  from  nervous  causes  is  not  gen- 
eral, although  it  is  said  to  be  a  common  thing  among 
soldiers  before  going  into  battle.  Persons  suffering  from 
nervous  diseases,  may  be  subject  to  it,  but  the  ordinary 
aflfairs  of  life  do  not  produce  sufficient  fright,  shock  or 
nervous  tension  to  cause  diarrhoea. 

With  the  exception  of  nervous  diarrhoea,  there  is  al- 
ways offending  matter  in  the  intestines  that  causes  it,  and 
nature  undertakes  to  wash  it  out.  The  use  of  opiates 
and  astringents  to  keep  poisonous  matter  in  the  system,  by 
checking  the  diarrhoea  is  a  striking  example  of  the  misuse 
of  drugs.  People  who  live  properly,  will  not  have  diarr- 
hoea, but  reason  should  teach  them  that  offending  matter 
in  the  bowels  must  be  gotten  rid  of  in  some  way,  and  the 
cause  of  the  original"  irritation  stopped.  If  the  entire  in- 
testinal tract  could  be  irrigated,  relief  would  be  quick,  but 
as  this  cannot  be  done,  the  next  best  thing  is  to  wash  out 
the  lower  bowel  and  disinfect  the  upper  ones  through  the 
stomach.     The  lives  of  many  children  might  be  saved  in 


364  DIET  IN  DIARRHOEA 

this  way.  Where  the  discharge  is  so  exhausting  as  to 
drain  the  blood,  and  cause  danger  of  collapse,  inject  hypo- 
dermically  luke-warm  water  to  which  a  little  salt  has 
been  added.  The  diet  in  diarrhoea  must  be  very  bland. 
One  of  the  favorite  foods  is  the  flour  ball.  Take  wheat 
flour  and  tie  in  a  fine  linen  or  cotton  cloth,  and  then  put 
it  in  boiling  water.  Boil  eight  to  ten  hours  continuously. 
Flour  so  treated  may  then  be  served  with  boiled  milk. 
Some  physicians  advise  that  the  solid  part  of  the  flour  ball 
be  peeled  ofT  and  the  remainder  again  boiled  for  ten 
hours.  It  is  certain  that  the  second  boiling  will  do  no 
harm,  as  flour  so  treated  cannot  be  cooked  too  much. 
Next  to  the  flour  ball  or  in  connection  with  it,  meat  juice 
may  be  used.  Broil  a  thick  piece  of  steak  lightly  and 
then  express  the  juice. 

Albumen  water  is  also  very  useful.  This  consists  of 
the  white  of  raw  eggs  dissolved  in  water — the  white  of  one 
or  two  eggs  to  a  glass  of  water  is  sufficient.  A  little  salt 
may  be  added. 

Beaten  or  Hghtly  boiled  eggs  and  milk  will  meet  the 
needs  of  the  system  in  diarrhoea.  All  coarse  vegetables, 
sour  fruits,  sugar,  mushes  and  salt  meats  must  be  left  out 
of  the  dietary.  If  constipation  be  the  cause  of  the  diarr- 
hoea, the  diet  must  be  adapted  to  it  as  soon  as  the  acute 
symptoms  of  the  diarrhoea  have  subsided. 
Chronic  Diarrhoea. 

This  is  a  disease  in  which  there  is  chronic  inflammation 
of  the  intestines.  The  intestines  must  be  relieved  of  all 
the  work  possible,  and  digestion  performed  in  the  stomach. 
The  diet  should  be  of  meat  juice  and  milk,  diluted  with 
lime  water;  eggs  and  flour  ball,  for  variety.  Raspberry 
and  blackberry  juice  without  the  seeds  may  often  be  em- 
ployed with  good  results.  Careful  attention  must  be 
given  to  general  hygiene. 


DYSENTERY  365 

This  is  a  serious  inllaiinnation,  usually  of  the  large  in- 
testines. There  is  sloughing  of  the  glandular  membranes 
and  bloody  mucous  discharges.  Diet  similar  to  diarrhoea. 
Piles. 

This  is  an  inflanmiation  of  the  lower  part  of  the  rectum, 
caused  by  constipation  and  over-eating  of  highly  seasoned 
or  fatty  food,  which  produces  great  fullness  of  the  portal 
circulation.  It  is  also  caused  by  diseases  of  the  liver, 
heart,  uterus,  and  diseases  of  other  organs.  Avoid  tea, 
strong  cofifee,  pickles,  sour  fruits,  all  alcohohc  drinks, 
green  and  canned  corn  and  coarse  vegetables.  When 
acute  stage  is  relieved,  diet  similar  to  that  of  constipation 
will  probably  give  relief. 

Injections  of  hot  water  are  very  beneficial,  although  cold 
■water  will  sometimes  give  better  results.  Avoid  straining 
at  stools,  keep  quiet,  and  especially  keep  the  bowels  active. 
Intestinal  Indigestion. 

This  is  intended  to  cover  various  disorders  of  the  in- 
testines, pancreas  and  liver,  that  are  mainly  functional. 
The  stomach  specialist  meets  a  good  many  cases  where 
the  stomach  is  practically  inactive,  but  intestinal  digestion 
good.  The  faddists  take  such  examples  and  construct  one 
inflexible  rule,  and  when  applied  to  other  conditions  the 
wonderful  cure  advocated  utterly  fails.  Another  class 
have  good,  active  stomachs  and  gastric  digestion,  but  poor 
intestinal  digestion.  Such  persons  have  often  been  treated 
by  various  physicians,  for  many  years  with  poor  results, 
because  the  stomach  was  not  the  seat  of  the  disease. 
There  is  such  close  sympathy  belween  the  stomach  and 
the  intestines,  that  it  is  not  easy  to  determine  the  real 
nature  of  many  disorders.  If  the  intestines  fail  to  perform 
their  functions  properly,  the  food  may  be  carried  out  be- 
fore digested  or  may  be  so  long  retained  as  to  cause  put- 
refaction.    It  is  obvious  that  the  stomach  cannot  empty 


366  INTESTINAL  DYSPEPSIA 

itself  when  the  outlet  is  clogged.  On  the  other  hand,  if 
the  stomach  fails  to  perform  its  work  and  discharges  its 
contents  in  bad  condition,  the  symptoms  will  be  very  sim- 
ilar to  those  when  the  intestines  are  solely  at  fault. 

The  causes  of  intestinal  dyspepsia  are  very  much  the 
same  as  those  of  the  stomach.  In  most  cases  it  will  be 
found  that  the  intestines  are  permanently  dilated,  and 
have,  in  a  measure,  lost  their  power  to  propel  their  con- 
tents. In  such  cases  constipation  and  diarrhoea  will  alter- 
nate for  a  time,  with  a  tendency  toward  one  or  the  other. 
Among  women  the  excessive  use  of  sweets  and  strong  tea 
are  dietetic  factors,  but  it  is  probable  that  corset  con-  • 
striction  and  the  constipation  of  child-bearing  stand  out 
above  all  other  causes. 

Among  men  the  use  of  tobacco  and  alcoholic  liquors, 
especially  beer,  are  prominent  causes. 

There  will  be  a  feeling  of  great  fullness  and  weight  in 
the  abdomen,  three  or  four  hours  after  meals,  accompa- 
nied with  more  or  less  pain,  and  there  may  be  occasional 
vomiting  without  much  nausea.  The  vomit  will  usually 
contain  bile  enough  to  give  it  a  greenish  cast,  and  when  it 
is  brought  up  without  nausea  or  retching,  it  is  one  of  the 
most  characteristic  signs  of  intestintal  disorders.  Nerv- 
ous vomiting  occurs  without  great  nausea,  but  it  has  no 
time  relation  to  meals,  and  rarely  brings  up  bile.  Vio- 
lent retching  in  catarrh  of  the  stomach,  or  attacks  of 
malaria  or  other  acute  infectious  diseases,  often  bring  up 
bile,  but  is  accompanied  with  intense  nausea,  and  can 
hardly  be  confounded  with  chronic  intestinal  disorders. 

All  foods  that  are  hard  to  dissolve  and  quick  to  ferment, 
must  be  left  out  of  the  dietary,  starch  and  fats  are  to  be 
used  in  small  quantities,  without  sugar,  syrup,  cake,  pud- 
ding or  preserves.  All  astiingent  fruits,  vinegar,  sweet 
potatoes,  maslied  potatoes,  green  or  canned  corn  are  like- 


DIET  IN  INTESTINAL  DYSPEPSIA  367 

wise  prohibited.  Cereal  mushes  an3  gruels  are  advocated 
by  some  for  all  disorders,  but  they  will  not  do  for  intes- 
tinal dyspepsia.  The  cereals  must  be  eaten  in  the  form  of 
dry  unleavened  bread,  crackers  or  dry  meal  twice  cooked. 

If  there  is  a  tendency  to  chronic  diarrhoea,  with  m- 
flammation  and  mucous  stools,  the  cereals  must  be  free 
from  bran,  but  in  most  cases  fine  bran  in  the  bread  will 
produce  healthy  action.  When  the  intestinal  starch  diges- 
tion is  bad,  it  is  urgent  that  only  dry  bread  be  used,  so  that 
a  very  large  amount  of  saliva  will  be  secreted.  This  will 
insure  good  salivary  digestion,  which  is  always  important, 
and  absolutely  indispensable  in  intestinal  dyspepsia.  To 
put  it  in  another  way :  The  food  must  be  prepared  for  ab- 
sorption in  the  mouth  and  the  stomach.  Now  as  the 
stomach  only  digests  proteid  foods,  it  follows  that  they 
must  be  used  in  preference  to  starches  for  a  large  part  or 
the  diet,  and  that  the  starches  must  be  aseptic,  extra  well 
cooked,  roasted  and  eaten  dry.  The  foods  best  adapted 
are  very  fine  wheat  bran,  starch  (cereals)  dextrinized  by  a 
high  degree  of  heat,  wheat  gluten,  malted  nuts,  cream,  nut 
oils,  fresh  lean  meat,  stewed,  roasted  or  'boiled,  baked  ap- 
ples, baked  bananas,  stewed  peaches,  small  quantities  of 
baked  potatoes,  fisl\  milk,  eggs,  gelatine,  bean  and  pea 
soup,  when  strained.  If  the  patient  is  weak,  meat  juice 
will  be  most  serviceable.  Boil  a  thick  piece  of  steak  and 
grind  and  express  the  juice  by  as  high  a  pressure  as  ob- 
tainable. Sweet  or  very  sour  fruit  must  be  sparingly 
used,  when  there  is  pain  or  great  tenderness.  Four  to  six 
ounces  of  milk  and  hot  water,  or  milk  and  cereal  coffee 
may  be  taken  with  the  meals,  but  no  other  drink. 
Diseases  of  Pancreas. 

The  pancreas  performs  the  largest  part  in  digestion,  but 
its  abnormalities  are  the  least  understood  of  any  organ  of 
the  body.     Owing  to  its  position  m  the  body,  it  cannot  be 


368  PANCREAS 

examined  externally,  and  internally  only  after  death. 
Apparently  it  does  not  produce  any  violent  smyptoms,  but 
experiments  on  animals  prove  that  it  is  indispensable  to 
life,  and  many  autopsies  show  that  the  pancreas  was  the 
principal  organ  diseased.  It  is  now  believed  that  diabetes 
is  mainly  a  disease  of  the  pancreas  and  liver.  Some  of 
the  most  recent  medical  writers  learnedly  describe  the  va- 
rious structural  changes  produced  by  different  diseases 
of  the  pancreas,  but  leaving  out  conjecture  there  are  only 
two  methods  of  diagnosing  diseases  of  the  pancreas,  and 
that  is  by  chemical  analysis  of  the  urine  and  of  the  stools. 
Sugar  in  the  urine  and  excessive  fat  in  the  stools  indicate 
disease  of  the  pancreas.  Tliere  is  not  much  clinical  expe- 
rience reported  in  the  dietetic  treatment  of  pancreatic  dis- 
eases, but  as  both  starches  and  fats  are  mainly  dependent 
upon  pancreatic  secretions  to  render  them  capable  of  ab- 
sorption, it  follows  that  foods  of  this  class  must  be  arti- 
ficially treated.  Fats  must  be  emulsified  and  as  cream 
is  the  only  natural  emulsion  it  would  seem  to  be  a  suitable 
food.  Nut  or  cod-liver  oil  may  be  emulsified  as  follows: 
Pour  the  oil  in  a  cup  and  add  about  half  as  much  water. 
Take  revolving  egg  beater,  put  blades  in  the  oil  and 
water,  and  then  operate  as  rapidly  as  possible  until  the 
water  finely  divides  the  oil,  and  then  add  beaten  egg 
without  stopping  the  beating  until  the  mixture  is  com- 
plete. 

Starches  may  be  partly  predigested  by  heat  (long  cook- 
ing at  high  temperature),  by  pancreatic  preparations  of 
commerce,  and  by  malt  extracts.  (See  diseases  of  stom- 
ach.) These  methods  may  be  used  with  great  benefit  in 
tuberculosis,  anemia,  and  other  diseases,  and  should  be 
tried  whenever  there  is  a  suspicion  of  pancreatic  insuf- 
ficiency. Milk,  wheat  gluten,  powdered  meat,  eggs  and 
fish  should  form  a  large  part  of  the  diet. 


FUNCTIONS  or  THli  LIVI-R  ^69 

The  liver  is  tlie  larg-ost  organ  of  the  l)ody,  and  prol)al)ly 
performs  the  greatest  number  of  dilTcrent  functions,  ll  is 
situated  on  the  right  side  and  extends  below  the  lower 
ribs,  overlapping  the  pyloric  end  of  the  stomach.  Dur- 
ing the  past  few  years  hundreds  of  experiments  have  l)cen 
made  to  determine  its  various  functions,  and  from  these 
experiments  we  learn  that  the  liver  secretes  from  fifteen 
to  twenty-one  ounces  of  bile  in  twenty-four  hours;  that 
bile  is  composed  of  mucus,  taurocholic  and  glycocholic 
acids,  bilirubin,  biliverdin,  cholesterin  and  the  salts  of 
potassium,  calcium,  magnesium  and  iron;  that  bile  emul- 
sifies fats  and  increases  the  absorptive  power  of  intestinal 
membranes ;  that  it  is  laxative  and  to  a  limited  extent  acts 
as  an  intestinal  antiseptic.  The  liver  changes  starch  and 
fat  into  glycogen,  sometimes  called  animal  starch.  It  also 
changes  albumen  into  serum-albumen.  These  are  thd 
final  changes  food  receives  before  being  converted  into 
heat  and  tissue.  It  is  supposed  that  the  liver  acts  as  a 
sort  of  reservoir  for  nutriment,  and  that  it  gives  out  gly- 
cogen as  the  system  needs  it.  Another  function  of  the 
liver,  probably  equally  important,  is  that  of  arresting  poi- 
sons. When  poisons  were  injected  into  the  veins  leading 
directly  to  the  liver  they  produced  but  little  or  no  efifect; 
but  when  injected  in  blood  vessels  leading  from  the  liver, 
death  quickly  resulted.  The  liver  arrests  poisonous  sub- 
stances generated  in  the  system,  destroys  the  dead  tissue 
of  the  body,  and  might  aptly  be  called  the  supply,  and  the 
discharge-center  of  the  blood.  An  organ  with  so  many 
functions,  must  almost  necessarily  be  subject  to  a  great 
many  disorders,  so  that  the  common  question,  "How  is 
your  liver?"  may  be  considered  almost  equivalent  to 
"How  is  your  health?" 

Causes  of  Diseases  of  the  Liver. 

The  causes  are  ver>^  numerous;  but  for  our  purpose, 
four  classifications  will  be  sufficient: 


370  CAUSES  OF  ITS  DISEASE 

1.  Engorgement  from  excess  of  rich  food  and  irritat- 
ing condiments. 

2.  Poisons  introduced  into  the  body. 

3.  Contagious  and  infectious  diseases. 

4.  Poisons  generated  within  the  system. 

The  French  are  very  fond  of  fat  goose  livers,  from 
which  they  make  a  dish  called  "pate  de  foies  gras."  To 
obtain  the  livers  they  confine  the  geese  separately  in  small 
coops  and  feed  them  all  the  fattening  foods  they  can  be 
made  to  swallow.  In  a  short  time  the  livers  of  the  fowls 
become  three  or  four  times  the  natural  size,  and  then  the 
goose  is  killed.  A  good  many  people  treat  themselves 
as  the  French  do  the  geese  to  make  fat  livers,  only  they 
do  not  kill  themselves  quite  so  suddenly  as  the  hatchet 
does  the  goose.  An  excess  of  fat,  such  as  butter,  gravy, 
fat  meats,  shortening,  with  great  quantities  of  other  foods, 
produce  great  engorgement  of  the  portal  circulation,  and 
ultimately  partial  or  total  disability  of  the  liver.  Man  is 
supposed  to  be  a  creature  of  reason,  yet  it  is  difficult  to 
understand  why  so  many  poison  themselves.  It  can  only 
be  accounted  for  on  the  theory  mentioned  in  the  begin- 
ning of  the  book,  that  the  animal  nature  is  stronger 
than  the  intellectual.  The  most  common  illustration  of 
this  is  found  In  alcoholic  poisoning.  The  human  system 
can  only  burn  up  a  small  quantity  of  alcohol,  and  when  a 
considerable  amount  is  ingested,  most  of  it  must  be  ex- 
creted. Just  what  function  the  liver  performs  in  this 
work  has  not  been  satisfactorily  determined,  but  when  al- 
cohol can  be  found  nowhere  else  in  the  system  after  its 
ingestion,  it  may  be  found  in  abundance  in  the  liver.  It 
is  probable  that  the  liver  holds  a  large  amount  of  alcohol 
until  it  can  be  gradually  excreted,  and  because  of  this 
function  of  the  liver  it  is  usually  the  most  injured  of  any 
organ  in  the  body  when  alcoHol  is  used  in  excess.     It  is 


TOBACCO  POISONING  371 

well  known  that  large  users  of  alcoholic  liquors  quickly 
succumb  to  acute  infectious  diseases,  or  at  least  are  much 
more  seriously  affected  by  them.  This  may,  in  part,  be 
due  to  congestion  of  the  mucous  membranes  which  alcohol 
causes,  but  it  is  probable  that  the  liver  of  alcoholics  loses 
its  poison-destroying  power,  and  because  of  this  the  sys- 
tems of  such  persons  become  infected,  and  the  natural 
power  of  resistance  greatly  lessened.  Workers  in  lead 
and  copper  smelters  are  also  much  subject  to  liver  dis- 
eases. Most  of  the  minerals  are  slowly  excreted,  and 
when  taken  into  the  system,  either  by  the  mouth  or  ab- 
sorbed from  handling,  there  is  a  gradual  accumulation, 
until  the  liver  becomes  almost  wholly  clogged,  which  re- 
sults in  disease.  We  must  not  overlook  the  most  univer- 
sal of  all  poisons — tobacco.  Every  tobacco  user  is  de- 
pendent on  the  fidelity  of  his  liver  to  save  him  from  to- 
bacco poisoning,  and  the  injury  will  be  in  proportion  to 
its  capacity  to  protect  the  system.  In  the  treatment  of 
contagious  and  infectious  diseases,  the  use  of  tobacco  will 
likely  delay  recovery.  This  is  also  true  of  diseases  of  nu- 
trition. The  specific  infecfious  and  contagious  diseases 
seriously  complicate  the  liver,  probably  because  of  the  in- 
creased destruction  of  tissue  in  the  body,  and  the  poison- 
ous bacteria  and  other  organisms.  The  most  common 
diseases  of  this  character  are  malaria,  typhoid  fever,  scar- 
latina, diphtheria  and  syphilis.  The  fourth  cause  of  liver 
diseases  is  the  source  of  most  of  its  ailments,  because  the 
changes  the  food  must  undergo  for  the  production  of  heat 
and  the  repair  of  tissue,  make  possible  the  constant  pro- 
duction of  poisonous  compounds.  The  products  of  every 
form  of  indigestion,  as  well  as  the  non-elimination  of 
effete  tissue,  are  in  some  degree  poisonous.  If  the  liver 
and  other  organs  be  sufficiently  capable,  the  body  will  be 
protected  from  ill  effects;  otherwise,  there  is  auto-intoxi- 
cation— self-poisoning. 


372  DISEASES  OF  THE  LIVER 

These  are  named  according-  to  the  structural  changes 
the  Hver  undergoes,  the  most  common  of  which  is  jaun- 
dice. This  is  a  stoppage  in  the  natural  flow  of  bile  and 
its  absorption  into  the  system,  causing  a  yellowish  tint  of 
the  skin.  Hyperaemia  is  congestion  of  the  portal  circu- 
lation— a  blood  engorgement.  Suppurative  hepatitis,  is 
abcess  of  the  liver,  and  cirrhosis  is  a  chronic  inflammatory 
liver  disease,  characterized  by  a  nodular  roughness  of  the 
surface. 

Symptoms. 

Enlargement  and  feeling  of  fulness  in  the  right  side. 
An  unusual  fullness  of  abdominal  veins,  an  irregular  and 
intermittent  pulse,  digestive  disturbance,  loss  of  appetite, 
and  especially  loathing  of  fatty  foods.  Dropsy,  jaundice, 
difificult  breathing",  tension  in  the  region  of  the  stomach 
and  liver,  slight  chills,  sharp  pain  in  the  right  side,  radiat- 
ing to  right  shoulder  and  a  great  increase  or  decrease  in 
amount  of  urea. 

Diet. 

We  have  seen  persons  quickly  recover  from  jaundice  by 
eating  large  quantities  of  fresh  peaches,  after  medical  treat- 
ment had  failed  to  give  relief.  There  is  probably  no  dis- 
ease where  the  large  use  of  laxative  fruits,  such  as  apples, 
peaches,  strawberries  and  oranges  have  such  beneficial  ef- 
fects. The  fruit  should  be  fresh  and  used  without  sugar. 
Sour  fruits  are  never  indicated  in  acute  inflammatory  con- 
dition of  intestines,  and  if  complicated  with  diseases  of 
the  liver,  fruits  must  be  kept  out  of  the  diet  until  acute 
symptoms  subside.  A  free  use  of  fruits  is  recommended 
by  some  in  alcoholism,  and  it  is  claimed,  with  some  rea- 
son, that  when  fruits  are  plentiful  and  cheap,  the  general 
use  of  alcoholic  liquors  greatly  decreases.  It  is  to  be 
hoped  that  further  observation  and  experience  will  prove 
this  claim  and  give  reliable  facts  that  will  be  of  great  value. 


DIET  IN  LIVER  DISEASES  373 

In  diseases  of  the  liver,  as  in  other  diseases,  it  should 
be  kept  in  mind  that  rest  for  the  diseased  organ,  nour- 
ishment and  freedom  from  irritation,  are  most  essential. 
No  food  so  nearly  meets  these  requirements  as  milk. 
Where  the  liver  is  enlarged  from  the  excess  of  rich  food,  it 
would  seem  rational  to  conclude  that  a  light  diet,  mostly 
liquid,  should  be  prescribed;  and  it  is  probable  that  the 
"fruit  cure"  for  rheumatism  and  other  diseases,  rests  on 
this  theory.  When  the  liver  is  affected  from  such  dis- 
eases as  typhoid  or  malaria,  it  is  necessary  to  furnish  all 
the  nourishing  food  that  can  be  digested  and  assimilated, 
such  as  meat  juice,  eggs,  gelatine,  gluten  and  bread.  When 
there  is  no  intestinal  inflammation,  fine  wheat  bran  that 
has  been  roasted  and  re-ground,  will  help  keep  the  intes- 
tines active. 


CHAPTER  XXX. 

CHRONIC  DISEASES. 

KIDNEYS. 

Acute  nephritis  is  an  acute  inflammation  of  the  kidneys, 
characterized  by  albumen,  and  other  patholog-ical  ele- 
ments, in  the  urine.  The  disease  may  develop  mto  chronic 
nephritis.  Chronic  nephritis,  or  Bright's  disease,  may 
also  originate  without  havmg  been  preceded  by  any  acute 
symptoms. 

Causes. 

Most  of  the  acute  cases  are  caused  by  the  poisonous 
matter  resulting  from  such  infectious  diseases  as  scarlet 
fever,  diphtheria,  typhoid  fever,  small-pox  and  malaria. 
Other  infectious  diseases  or  diseases  resulting  from  self- 
poisoning  are  also  causes.  Any  condition  which  hinders 
the  functional  activity  of  the  skin,  or  that  throws  addi- 
tional work  on  the  kidneys,  may  cause  acute  nephritis. 
This  may  also  be  the  case  in  diseases  of  the  skin,  exten- 
sive burns,  or  from  cold  and  exposure  which  arrest  its 
functional  activity.  The  kidneys  perform  a  very  impor- 
tant function  in  removing  poisons  or  poisonous  sub- 
stances from  the  body,  and  are,  therefore,  likely  to  be 
greatly  affected  by  them.  This  is  especially  true  of  lead 
and  alcohol  in  all  its  forms.  Painters  and  others  who 
work  in  lead  are  much  subject  to  this  complaint.  A 
distinguished  medical  writer  classes  Bright's  disease  as  of 
uric  acid  origin,  which  is  but  another  name  for  poison 
resulting  from  effete  matter  in  the  system.  In  addition 
to  these  general  causes,  Bright's  disease  undoubtedly  has 
a  nervous  origin,  which  comes  from  shock,  emotional 
excitment  and  high  nervous  tension.     Hereditary  tenden- 


376  BRIGHT'S  DISEASE 

cies  are  very  pronounced  in  some  families,  as  evidenced 
by  the  fact  that  entire  famiHes  have  died  of  the  disease. 
Symptoms. 

Tlie  symptoms  are  mainly  constitutional.  In  acute 
nephritis  there  may  be  dropsical  effusions.  These  are 
often  manifested  by  swelling  of  the  face,  feet,  legs  and 
other  parts  of  the  body,  with  diminished  amount  of  urine. 
In  the  acute  attacks,  there  may  be  chilliness,  pain  in  the 
back  and  limbs,  dull  headache  and  general  physical  weak- 
ness. In  chronic  nephritis,  or  Bright's  disease,  there  may 
be  attacks  of  nervousness,  indigestion,  headache,  and 
particularly  shortness  of  breath  after  climbing  a  stairway. 
There  is  no  pain  to  warn  the  patient,  and  it  not  unfre- 
quently  happens  that  people  have  Bright's  disease  and  are 
hopelessly  incurable  before  they  ascertain  the  fact.  A 
chemical  analysis  of  the  urine  is  easily  made,  and  no 
physician  should  be  permitted  to  practice  medicine  who 
does  not  make  frequent  examinations  of  this  kind.  In 
disease,  the  exact  condition  of  the  kidneys  is  best  deter- 
mined by  a  microscopical  examination. 
Diet. 

There  is  no  food  that  gives  as  good  results  in  diseases 
of  the  kidneys  as  milk.  In  some  cases,  it  will  be  best  to 
use  it  almost  exclusively  for  some  months.  If  it  does  not 
agree  with  the  patient,  or  is  not  sufficiently  nourishing  to 
sustain  the  strength,  well-baked  bread,  or  rice  that  has 
been  boiled  several  hours,  or  until  the  grains  disinte- 
grate, may  be  used  to  thicken  the  milk.  Should  there  be 
constipation,  rolled  oats  may  be  substituted  for  the  bread 
and  rice.  If  the  patient  loses  strength  he  may  be  given 
wheat  gluten  and  powdered  nuts  and  fish.  The  latter  is 
the  only  meat  ordinarily  allowable,  but  some  permit  a 
small  amount  of  chicken.  Where  the  digestive  organs  arc 
in  good  condition  and  the  patient  has  considerable  vigor, 


DIET  IN  BRIGHT'S  377 

a  moderate  amount  of  green  vegetables  may  be  allowed, 
but  never  in  acute  attacks.  Neutral  fruits,  or  those  some- 
what sweet,  will  not  likely  do  any  harm.  They  should 
always  be  baked  or  stewed.  In  Bright's  disease  all  irri- 
tating substances,  such  as  pepper,  mustard  and  condi- 
ments generally,  are  prohibited.  Likewise  all  meat,  ex- 
cept fish,  and  chicken  occasionally;  all  pungent  vegeta- 
bles, such  as  raw  onions,  together  with  alcoholic  liquors  of 
every  description,  vinegar,  sour  fruits,  tea  and  cofTee. 
It  is  of  greatest  importance  that  the  skin  be  kept  in  the 
most  active  condition  possible.  Daily  baths,  tollowed  by 
thorough  rubbing  of  the  skin  for  a  half  hour,  is  essential 
to  good  condition  and  a  prolonged  existence.  Chronic 
Bright's  disease  is  classed  among  the  incurable  ones,  but 
those  who  are  so  afiflicted  must  not  worry  about  it,  as  it 
doubles  their  speed  towards  the  end.  With  good  care, 
one  may  live  many  years  with  Bright's  disease,  and  be 
much  alive  long  after  some  of  those  who  were  supposed 
to  be  more  fortunate,  have  passed  away. 
Diabetes  Mellitus.  • 

The  origin  of  diabetes  has  not  been  satisfactorily  deter- 
mined. It  was  formerly  supposed  to  be  a  disease  of  the 
kidneys,  but  modern  research  has  established  the  fact  that 
the  kidneys  are  merely  the  mtermediaries  for  excreting 
the  sugar  contained  in  the  urine.  It  is  now  supposed 
that  the  pancreas,  liver,  and  base  of  the  brain,  are  the 
principal  organs  originally  affected,  and  the  probable 
source  of  this  disease.  The  disease  of  diabetes  is  princi- 
pally characterized  by  an  excessive  elimination  of  urine 
of  high  specific  gravity,  containing  a  large  amount  of 
grape  sugar — technically  called  glycosuria. 

It  is  dependent  upon  a  morbid  condition  of  the  system, 
which  prevents  the  grape  sugar  contained  in  the  foods 
being  properly  taken  up  by  the  different  organs  of  the 


378  DIABETES 

body.  Starch  is  converted  into  grape  sugar,  which  is 
greatly  increased  in  diabetes  by  the  constant  use  of  starchy 
or  saccharine  foods.  This  is  due  to  perversion  of  storage 
capacity  of  glycogen  in  the  liver  and  muscles,  and  insuffi- 
cient consumption  of  sugar  in  the  tissues,  because  the 
cells  of  diabetic  patients  are  unable  to  perform  their  sugar- 
consuming  functions.  The  causes  are  heredity,  infectious 
diseases,  diseases  of  the  pancreas,  great  mental  worry, 
over-eating  and  shock  to  the  nervous  system.  The  dis- 
ease is  most  common  in  Southern  Italy  and  India.  Of  the 
races,  the  Jews  are  most  subject  to  the  disease. 

Diabetes  is  fatal  in  children  and  is  exceedingly  danger- 
ous to  those  so  afflicted  under  the  age  of  thirty,  and  they 
especially  should  completely  exclude  from  their  diet"  list 
all  starches  and  sugars.  In  those  over  forty-five  it  is  not 
so  dangerous  to  health  as  to  allow  them  the  moderate 
use  of  starchy  foods.  It  should  be  borne  in  mind,  that 
it  is  more  important  to  keep  up  the  strength  of  the  patient, 
than  to  reduce  the  sugar  in  the  urine. 

All  diabetics  should  be  unconditionally  allowed  the  use 
of  all  varieties  of  meat,  such  as  beef,  veal,  mutton,  fowl, 
game,  pork,  tongue,  brain,  sweet-breads,  kidneys,  marrow 
bones,  cured  meats,  fresh  fish,  shell-fish,  preserved  fish, 
oils,  eggs,  milk,  cheese,  nuts  (except  chestnuts),  lettuce, 
endives,  spinach,  onions,  leeks,  asparagus,  cabbage,  meat 
soups  without  sugar  or  flour.  Fats  and  oils  are  especially 
useful  in  this  disease. 

Gluten  and  bran  bread,  without  the  starch  of  the  flour, 
may  be  used,  but  ordinary  bread  sparingly,  if  at  all. 

Sugar,  jellies,  sweetmeats,  pastry,  sweet  wines,  all  flour, 
cereal  or  other  starches,  potatoes,  honey,  sweet  fruits,  are 
forbidden. 

Diabetics  must  be  kept  free  from  worry  or  exhausting 
labor,  and  should  drink  carbonated  waters,  lemon  juice, 


CONSUMPTION  379 

weak  coffee  without  milk  or  sui;ar.  but  saccharin  may  he 
nseiL     Whiskey  is  frequently  useful,  hut  no  heer.     Keg^u- 
iar  hahits  are  of  greatest  importance. 
Tuberculosis. 

Consumption  is  one  of  the  greatest  enemies  of  the  hu- 
man race.  Its  slow  insidious  attack,  has  for  centuries 
kept  its  infectious  nature  in  the  background,  but  thanks 
to  modern  research,  with  the  aids  of  the  microscope  and 
medical  science,  its  real  nature  is  much  better  understood. 

It  is  best  know'n  by  the  masses  as  a  disease  of  gradual 
emaciation  of  the  body,  suppuration  and  wasting  of  the 
lungs,  accompanied  by  cough.  The  disease  is  caused  by 
a  microbe  called  bacillus  tuberculosis.  Those  who  pos- 
sess a  high  degree  of  physical  vigor,  seem  to  have  greater 
immunity  from  this  disease,  than  those  who  are  weak. 
The  bacillus  may  be  transmitted  to  children,  but  they  are 
not  likely  to  live  long.  It  is  quite  probable  that  heredi- 
tary weakness  causes  a  pre-disposition  to  this  disease,  but 
the  fatalities  of  consumptive  families  are  due  to  contagion 
rather  than  hereditary  tendencies.  One  consumptive  in  a 
family,  furnishes  infection  for  all  the  relatives,  and  sooner 
or  later,  some  one  will  be  sufficiently  weakened  to  furnish 
a  lodging  place,  and  ultimately  become  a  victim  of  the 
tubercle  bacilli.  This  is  the  principal  reason  why  several 
or  all  of  some  fam.ilies  die  of  this  disease. 

While  consumption  is  caused  by  the  tubercle  bacilli, 
indirect  causes  are  insufficient  nourishment,  bad  ventila- 
tion, hot  gas-lit  shops,  ulcers  in  the  throat,  and  moist 
atmosphere. 

The  disease  is  said  to  sometimes  arise  from  the  milk 
of  tuberculous  milk  cows.  Bronchitis  is  said  to  cause 
twelve  per  cent  of  the  cases,  but  the  cause  of  bronchitis 
is  also  due  to  bad  hygienic  living.  The  tubercle  bacillus 
measures  about  one  eight  thousandth  of  an  inch  in  dia- 


38o  DIET  IN  CONSUMPTION 

meter,  and  two  or  three  times  as  long  as  thick.     Tlie 
disease  usually  begins  at  the  apex  of  the  lungs. 

The  early  symptoms  of  this  disease  are  indigestion,  fail- 
ure of  appetite,  repugnance  to  fats,  exhaustion  on  slight 
exercise,  slight  fever,  night  sweats  and  expectoration. 
The  formation  of  a  cavity  is  generally  followed  by  regu- 
lar morning  expectoration,  and  after  this  night  sweats, 
slightly  elevated  temperature  in  the  afternoon,  loss  of 
flesh,  weight  and  color,  the  drawn  look  of  the  face,  the 
hectic  spot  on  the  cheek. 

In  first  stage  there  is  constipation,  third  stage  likely 
diarrhoea. 

Diet. 

As  tuberculosis  is  a  disease  dependent  on  sub-nutrition, 
its  cure  is  pre-eminently  dependent  upon  forced  feeding. 
The  tubercle  bacillus  will  not  stay  in  good  blood  for  a 
great  length  of  time.  As  a  rule,  the  patient  loses  appetite, 
eats  but  little  fat,  and  as  a  result  the  tissue  of  the  body  is 
burned  for  heat.  Now  when  the  system  must  use  part 
of  itself  to  furnish  heat,  it  can  be  readily  understood  how 
consumptives  grow  gradually  weaker  and  less  and  less 
able  to  throw  oflf  disease.  The  diet  must  therefore  be  rich, 
and  ready  for  assimilation,  and  nothing  meets  this  de- 
mand as  well  as  whisky  and  emulsified  fats,  which  may  be 
either  milk  and  cream,  nut  oils,  or  cod-liver  oil.  The 
patient  should  take  all  the  milk  possible.  Some  of  the 
methods  heretofore  described  will  insure  success.  Some 
prescribe  raw  beef  steak,  but  meat  powder  is  far  better.  It 
should  be  made  of  chicken  or  beef,  always  from  fresh 
meat.  INIeat  broths,  and  a  diet  of  "slops"  will  not  do.  As 
soon  as  the  stomach  will  digest  rich  food,  powdered  nuts 
may  be  added  to  the  dietary,  but  so  long  as  the  system  is 
weak,  nut  butter  is  much  more  easily  assimilated. 

Next  to  meat  powder,  beaten  eggs,  is  the  best  proteid 


DIET  IN  CONSUMPTION  381 

food.  Constipation  can  bo  avoided  by  nsing-  the  entire 
grain  of  the  cereals,  wheat,  oats,  rice  and  corn.  They 
should  be  boiled  for  some  hours  dried  and  roasted,  and 
then  ground  to  fine  flour.  If  desired,  they  may  again 
be  cooked  for  a  few  minutes  and  served  with  milk,  eggs, 
or  meat  powder,  or  flavored  to  suit. 

It  will  aid  digestion  to  eat  a  good  deal  of  dry  food.  If 
the  cereals  prepared  as  described  do  not  prevent  consti- 
pation, bran  should  be  t-eated  as  heretofore  described  in 
diseases  of  the  stomach,  and  used  with  each  meal.  CofTee 
is  only  permissible  for  flavor,  and  tea  not  at  all.  Fried 
foods,  coarse  vegetables,  raw  vegetables,  pickles,  pastry, 
and  doughy  bread,  candy,  salt  meats,  cheese,  and. condi- 
ments should  form  no  part  of  the  dietary.  .Should  there 
be  sour  stomach,  or  flatulence,  sugar  must  be  omitted, 
otherwise  it  can  be  used  in  a  moderate  way.  Fruit  juices, 
peaches  and  cooked  apples  may  be  used  freely  in  most 
cases. 

The  patient  must  take  all  the  food  that  can  be  used  in  the 
system,  but  never  gormandize.  If  it  is  too  much  trouble 
to  take  so  much  pains  with  the  diet,  don't  do  it,  but  order 
your  funeral  outfit.  Don't  be  foolish  enough  to  rely  on 
drugs.  They  are  useful  adjuncts,  but  good  blood  alone, 
can  cure. 

Insomnia. 

Sleeplessness  is  most  usually  caused  by  some  disturb- 
ance of  circulation — often  the  result  of  nervous  excite- 
ment. Anything  that  produces  great  activity  of  the  mind, 
such  as  grief,  joy,  business  cares,  anger,  stimulants,  or 
drugs,  may  produce  insomnia.  It  may  also  be  caused  by 
great  fatigue  and  pain,  but  the  principal  cause  is  indiges- 
tion. Disorders  of  nutrition  may  both  be  the  cause,  and 
tb-e  result  of  insomnia. 

The  diet,  of  course,  will  depend  much  on  the  cause.     If 


382  DISEASES  OF  THE  HEART 

it  be  from  an  excess  of  food-engorgement, — give  nature  a 
chance  to  unload.  If  the  cause  be  of  a  social  character, 
get  rid  of  the  cause,  and  by  all  means  leave  off  tea,  coffee, 
tobacco,  and  liquor,  or  at  least,  reduce  the  quantity  to  a 
nominal  amount.  In  cases  of  long  standing,  where  there 
is  physical  weakness,  massage,  in  connection  with  proper 
diet,  will  work  wonders.  In  ordinary  cases,  a  brisk  walk 
will  draw  the  blood  from  the  head  and  regulate  the  circu- 
lation. When  there  is  apparently  good  health,  and  no 
great  amount  of  nervousness,  a  light  supper  at  G  P.  M. 
with  a  glass  of  milk — malted  milk  preferable — or  a  baked 
apple,  or  even  a  piece  of  bread  before  retiring  will  be  suf- 
ficient to  insure  sleep.  If  the  food  supply  be  regulated 
according  to  the  needs  of  the  system  as  already  explained, 
the  worst  cases  will  readily  yield.  (See  Dilatation  of 
Stomach.) 

Diseases  of  the  Heart. 
The  heart  is  the  engine  of  the  human  body  and  its  at- 
tachments are  pipes  with  valves  quite  similar  to  those  of 
ordinary  pumps.  The  valves  prevent  the  return  of  the 
blood  as  it  is  forced  forward.  The  principal  heart  troubles 
are: 

(1)  Obstruction  or  displacement  of  the  heart. 

(2)  Enlargement  of  the  heart  and  changes  in  its  struc- 
ture. 

(3)  Leakage  of  the  valves  of  the  heart. 

(4)  Failure  from  over-stimulation,  exertion,  or  from 
lack  of  healthy  blood. 

(5)  Disease  from  excessive  use  of  tobacco  or  alcohol. 
The  blood  vessels  cause  disease  and  death  from: 

(1)  Rupture. 

(2)  Obstruction  to  flow  of  blood. 

(3)  Increased  resistance  within  the  vessels. 
Probably  the  most  common  of  all  heart  ailments  result 


DISEASES  OF  THE  HEART  383 

from  displacement  of  the  heart  due  to  excessive  flatulence 
of  the  stomach.  If  the  stomach  becomes  inflated  like  a 
balloon,  it  pushes  the  diaphragm  upward  against  the 
heart.  This  causes  .the  greatest  anxiety  and  distress  until 
relieved,  and  is  supposed  to  cause  many  deaths,  where  the 
patient  was  ordinarily  well  and  ate  an  extra  hearty  supper, 
but  was  found  dead  in  the  morning.  Displacement  or 
obstruction  from  tumors  or  water  surrounding  the  heart, 
must  also  have  a  very  serious  effect. 

All  these  produce  sensations  of  fainting,  difficult  breath- 
ing, and  a  feeling  as  though  death  was  imminent. 

Enlargement  and  changes  in  structure  cover  a  large 
field  in  heart  troubles.  It  includes  general  enlargement, 
thickening  of  the  walls,  increase  or  decrease  in  size  of 
cavities,  aneurisms,  changes  due  to  cancerous  growths 
and  inflammations  of  the  heart  and  connecting  mem- 
branes. 

Anything  that  interferes  with  the  circulation  of  the 
blood  may  cause  heart  enlargement.  If  the  heart  be  stim- 
ulated to  tvN'ice  its  usual  work,  or  the  blood  vessels  ob- 
structed so  that  more  force  is  required  to  make  the  blood 
flow  through  them,  the  heart  will  increase  in  size. 

Enlarged  hearts  are  found  in  those  who  drink  quan- 
tities of  alcoholic  liquors,  over-exert  themselves  (as 
bicycle  riders),  and  those  who  have  contracted  blood  ves- 
sels due  to  poisonous  matter  in  the  blood. 

Strong  pulse,  easily  flushed  face,  headache,  dizziness, 
shortness  of  breath,  disturbance  of  digestion. 

Fatty  Degeneration. — In  this  disease  the  structure  of 
the  muscular  walls  is  changed  by  part  of  the  fibers  dis- 
appearing and  in  their  place,  globules  of  fat  are  deposited. 

Causes. — Beer  drinking,  excessive  use  of  alcoholic  liq- 
uors and  ice  water,  excessive  corpulency  and  anaemia  are 
also  causes. 


384  DIF.T  IN  HEART  DISEASES 

Symptoms. — Short  breathing,  flabby  tissue,  nervous- 
ness, irritabiUty  of  temper,  dizziness  and  frequent  fainting. 

Palpitation  of  the  heart,  and  fainting  may  arise  from 
displacement,  caused  by  a  distended  stomach. 

In  valvular  diseases  of  the  heart,  the  changed  structure 
of  the  valves  may  prevent  their  fully  opening  or  closing,  so 
that  it  takes  more  power  to  force  the  blood  through  the 
arteries,  and  when  there  is  leakage,  it  is  more  than  double 
work,  for  a  large  part  flows  back.  Any  one  who  has  oper- 
ated a  leaky  pump  will  get  something  of  an  idea  of  this 
condition.  The  symptoms  are  much  like  other  diseases  of 
the  heart — attacks  of  fainting,  giddiness,  shortness  of 
breath,  and  the  necessity  of  keeping  the  head  elevated 
when  lying  down,  and  in  advanced  cases,  swelling  of  the 
feet,  face,  poor  circulation,  weak  pulse  and  dropsy. 

A  large  number  of  deaths  result  from  heart  failure.  This 
may  happen  because  of  excessive  stimulation,  so  that 
when  the  stimulant  is  withheld  the  fatigue  of  the  heart  re- 
sults in  its  stopping. 

The- same  effect  may  result  from  poisonous  efi'ects  of 
drugs  and  from  long-continued  fever.  The  higher  the 
temperature  the  more  frequent  the  beats  of  the  heart. 
Probably  more  deaths  result  after  fever  has  left  the  patient 
than  before.  This  is  usually  called  exhaustion,  but  means 
that  there  was  no  nourishment  for  the  overworked  heart. 
Any  weakness  of  the  heart  due  to  disease  may  cause  heart 
failure. 

There  is  still  another  form  of  heart  trouble  known  as 
nervous  palpitation,  common  to  narrow-chested  and  ner- 
vous people,  especially  those  addicted  to  the  use  of  tea 
and  cofifee.  There  is  no  organic  disease  in  this  class  of 
cases,  and  all  that  is  necessarv  is  to  eat  a  plain  diet  with 
care  as  to  exercise,  and  avo'..^  exci*^ement  and  an}i:hing 
that  prevents  sleep. 


DISEASES  OF  BLOOD  VESSELS  385 

The  blood  vessels  are  liable  to  disease  somewhat  similar 
to  the  heart.  In  the  disease  called  aneurism,  the  walls  of 
the  vessels  become  stretched  in  places,  so  that  rupture  is 
liable  to  occur  at  any  time. 

Obstruction  to  the  flow  of  blood  may  come  from  tumors, 
from  pressure  resulting  from  displacement  of  organs  in 
the  body,  and  from  accumulated  matter  in  the  bowels, 
which  may  cause  piles,  or  other  diseases.  Obstructions 
may  also  occur  from  tight  clothing,  hats,  corsets,  waist- 
bands, and  shoes. 

The  first  and  most  essential  thing  is  to  remove  the  pro- 
ducing cause.  Quit  liquor  drinking — and  all  other  bad 
habits.  If  it  is  from  ''scorching,"  quit  it.  If  from  con- 
tracted blood  vessels,  eat  little  or  no  meat,  and  wear  loose 
clothes. 

In  heart  disease  it  is  necessary  to  reduce  the  volume  of 
blood  and  increase  its  quality.  This  will  require  a  dry 
diet,  and  a  small  quantity  of  fluids.  This  is  especially  true 
in  obesity.  The  diet  may  be  similar  to  that  in  catarrh  or 
dilatation  of  the  stomach,  with  the  exception  that  the 
quantity  of  liquids  be  much  less  than  in  either  of  these 
diseases.  Where  it  is  complicated  with  obesity  or  diseases 
of  the  kidneys,  the  diet  must  meet  the  conditions  in  these 
diseases. 

Rickets. 

Rickets  is  a  disease  essentially  due  to  improper  food, 
but  influenced  by  unsanitary  surroundings,  such  as  filth, 
bad  air  and  water.  It  is  due  mainly  to  deficiency  in  min- 
eral matter  and  develops  in  children  who  are  fed  on  sugar, 
condensed  milk,  sterilized  milk,  fat,  and  starch  foods,  that 
contain  but  little  or  no  mineral  salts.  The  disease  also  oc- 
curs in  children  occasionally,  whom  their  mothers  nurse 
— due  to  some  deficiency  in  the  mother's  milk.  Children 
who  are  permitted  to  eat  fried  foods,  pickles,  beer,  green 


386  DEFICIENT  BLOOD 

and  over-ripe  fruits,  and  indigestible  foods  generally,  are 
subject  to  rickets. 

There  is  frequently  vomiting  in  the  earlier  symptoms  of 
rickets,  which  indicates  digestive  disturbances. 

Rickety  children  are  listless  and  peevish  when  awake, 
and  restless  when  asleep.  The  bones  become  soft,  and  if 
the  child  walks,  it  becomes  deformed,  twisted  or  bow- 
legged,  and  the  spine  may  become  curv^ed.  There  may 
be  emaciation,  or  the  child  may  be  fat  or  flabby.  See  diet 
for  children. 

Anaemia  and  Chlorosis. 

This  disease  has  attracted  a  great  deal  of  attention  and 
besides  the  medical  literature  on  the  subject,  short  arti- 
cles have  frequently  appeared  in  the  newspapers  and  mag- 
azines. These  have  usually  been  misleading,  so  that  it  is 
looked  upon  as  a  disease  of  the  blood,  rather  than  impov- 
erished blood,  which  it  really  is.  Anaemia  is  not  a  curse 
sent  from  Mars  or  Jupiter,  but  the  natural  result  of  plain, 
every-day  ignorance;  or  at  least  indiscretion  in  diet  and 
habits.  If  the  system  is  not  supplied  with  the  necessary 
elements  to  make  good  blood,  or  the  blood  be  poisoned  by 
efTete  matter  in  the  system,  or  drained  by  profuse  dis- 
charges, anaemia  results.  It  Is  most  common  in  girls 
during  puberty;  also  frequently  found  among  young  wo- 
men— especially  students — and  a  little  less  frequent  among 
women  generally. 

Causes. 

The  chief  causes  are:  insui^cient  clothing  on  arms  and 
legs,  too  little  exercise,  lack  of  pure  air,  and,  above  all, 
a  diet  in  which  candy,  pickles  and  pastry  form  the  larger 
part.  Secondary  causes  are  profuse  discharges  (which 
are  also  due  to  errors  in  living),  absorption  of  pus  from 
suppurating  inflammations,  drugs,  and  possibly  from 
eating  too  little  food  of  any  kind.   Women  may  have  anae- 


DIET  IN  ANAEMIA  387 

niia.  sick-headache,  bilious  attacks,  female  complaints,  or 
other  disorders,  and  persist  in  saying  that  nothing  they 
eat  "hurts  them/'  which  may  be  literally  true,  but  not  true 
in  effect.  There  is  something  remarkable  about  the  per- 
version of  young  girls'  appetites  at  puberty,  because  the 
more  anaemic  they  are,  the  more  they  crave  injurious 
'substances.  Parents  should  bear  in  mind  that  poorly- 
nourished  girls  "vvill  be  imperfectly  developed  women,  who, 
in  turn,  will  probably  become  mothers  of  degenerate  chil- 
dren. Many  make  a  great  mistake  in  supposing  that  fat 
is  an  indication  of  good  blood  and  vigor.  The  test  of 
good  blood  is  health,  strength  and  energy.  i\lany  anae- 
mic children  are  unjustly  called  lazy,  while  in  fact  they 
have  no  vital  force.  They  merely  exist  in  form,  but  not 
in  an  active  one.  Tlie  discussion  of  foods  and  dietaries  in 
part  one,  thoroughly  covers  the  subject;  but  attention  can- 
not too  often  be  drawn  to  some  errors,  and  among  them 
is  the  habit  of  girls  "piecing"  between  meals,  eating  fried 
foods,  pickles,  pastry  and  white  bread.  A  plain,  well- 
cooked,  cereal  diet,  with  stewed  or  roasted  meat,  milk, 
cream,  soft-boiled  or  poached  eggs,  ground  nuts,  without 
strong  tea  or  coffee,  will  soon  dispel  anaemia.  The  time 
is  coming  when  it  will  be  odious  to  be  sick. 
Epilepsy,  or  Fits. 
Epileptic  fits  have  many  causes.  When  due  to  pressure 
on  the  brain  from  injury  to  the  skull,  the  remedy  is  only 
a  surgical  one.  The  chief  cause,  however,  is  probably  due 
to  uric  acid  in  the  blood,  .and  the  fits  become  a  habit  of  the 
nervous  system.  In  this  class  of  cases  it  is  merely  an- 
other manifestation  of  the  same  thing  that  produces  sick- 
headache,  asthma,  rheumatism,  and  kindred  diseases,  al- 
though epilepsy  is  not  nearly  so  common.  When  one  or 
both  parents  are  troubled  with  sick-headache,  asthma,  or 
rheumatism,  and  a  child  has  epilepsy,  it  raises  a  strong 


388  ASTHMA 

presumption  that  it  is  of  uric  acid  origin.  In  all  diseases 
of  this  class,  but  little  or  no  meat  should  be  eaten,  and 
care  taken  not  to  eat  an  excess  of  starch  or  sugar.  There 
will  be  more  or  less  indigestion,  which  must  be  treated 
according  to  the  conditions  found.  Daily  baths  and  exer- 
cise in  the  open  air  will  be  very  beneficial.  If  the  pat'ent 
be  weak,  the  baths  should  be  tepid  until  cold  ones  can  be 
borne.  Constipation  must  be  avoided,  by  using  fine  ce- 
real bran.  A  glass  of  water  should  always  be  drunk  an 
hour  before  meals,  and  at  bed  time.  A  vegetable  diet, 
fresh  air,  an  active  skin  and  bowels,  and  alkaline  waters, 
will  do  much  for  epileptics. 

Asthma. 
Asthma  is  the  spasmodic  contraction  of  the  breathing 
tubes,  which  prevents  the  free  entrance  and  exit  of  air. 
The  attacks  come  on  more  or  less  irregularly,  and  may  be 
brought  on  by  a  number  of  causes,  such  as  strong  odors, 
dust,  bad  air,  and  by  inflammation  in  other  parts  of  the 
body.  Asthma  belongs  to  the  arthritic  diseases,  and  is 
caused  by  some  defect  in  the  elimination  of  waste,  partic- 
ularly efifete  tissue  or  excess  of  tissue-forming  foods.  An- 
other common  term  for  tendencies  to  diseases  of  this  class, 
is  uric  acid  diathesis,  which  is  believed  to  be  caused  by  im- 
perfect excretion  of  uric  acid.  Whenever  there  is  an  ex- 
cess of  uric  acid  in  the  system  of  those  who  are  predis- 
posed to  asthma,  it  contracts  the  blood  vessels  of  the  air 
passages.  Just  how  the  results  are  brought  about  is  more 
or  less  a  matter  of  conjecture,  but  it  is  probable  that  when 
the  blood  is  laden  as  described,  that  anything  which 
slightly  afifects  the  ner%'es  of  the  bronchial  system,  will 
bring  on  an  attack  of  asthma.  Where  the  uric  acid  dia- 
thesis exists  in  a  family,  one  may  have  asthma,  some  rheu- 
matism or  gout,  some  sick-headache,  some  other  diseases 
of  the  same  class,  such  as  some  form  of  epilepsy,  eczema, 


DIET  IN  ASTHMA  389 

dyspepsia,  throat  diseases,  etc.  Aledical  treatment  of 
asthma  is  only  palliative.  The  only  substantial  benefit 
asthmatics  can  receive  is  through  their  diet,  and  place  of 
living.  This  is  not  always  an  easy  matter  to  regulate,  as 
there  is  frequently  a  dilated  stomach,  and  most  asthmatics 
are  obese.  Leaving  off  tea,  coffee,  ale,  wine,  beer,  meat 
and  sugar,  will  greatly  benefit  and  probably  cure  those 
who  have  good  digestion.  If  the  patient  be  thin  and  have 
poor  circulation,  it  may  be  necessary  to  prescribe  whisky, 
but  no  other  liquor;  especially  none  of  a  fermented  char- 
acter. The  diet  should  mostly  be  restricted  to  wheat,  oats, 
corn  and  rice,  prepared  as  in  diseases  of  the  stomach. 
Thoroughly  cooked  cereals,  eaten  dry  and  well  masticated, 
furnish  the  best  diet.  If  more  fat  is  needed,  use  cream 
and  powdered  nuts,  but  never  without  grinding  as  fine  as 
flour.  jMilk  is  also  permissible,  but  where  the  stomach 
is  dilated  it  will  need  to  be  modified  in  some  of  the  ways 
heretofore  explained.  Fruits  are  usually  prohibited,  ex- 
cept for  flavoring,  although  neutral  fruits,  such  as  sub- 
acid apples  and  grapes,  may  be  eaten  during  good  health. 
Water,  milk,  sassafras  tea  and  cereal  coffee  are  the  only 
drinks  permissible  to  use. 

Leanness. 
The  doctor's  advice  to  the  fat  and  to  the  lean,  has  long 
been  a  target  for  the  humorous  paragrapher.  It  is  just 
possible,  too,  that  they  draw  a  picture  too  often  true,  when 
they  describe  the  doctor  as  advising  the  fat  patient  to  leave 
off  starch,  sugar  and  fat,  and  the  lean  one  to  eat  them. 
Leanness  cannot  be  cured  by  any  rule  of  arithmetic,  but 
only  by  scientific  dieting.  People  may  be  lean  because 
they  eat  too  much  fat  and  starch,  as  well  as  not  enough. 
It  is  a  matter  of  digestion  rather  than  ingestion.  Lean- 
ness IS  undoubtedly  hereditary:  but  Nature  never  intended 
one  to  be  too  lean    for  vigor  and  endurance.     Capacity 


390  LEANNESS 

for  work  and  general  health  is  the  real  standard  for  con- 
dition. When  people  fall  below  their  average  weight,  with 
a  tendency  toward  weakness,  there  is  cause  for  apprehen- 
sion. 

Causes  of  Leanness. 

Besides  hereditary  tendencies,  mental  worry,  over-ex- 
ertion, mental  or  physical,  loss  of  sleep,  inability  to  digest 
starchy  food,  insufficient,  or  too  much  food.  Those 
who  are  too  thin,  or  lack  strength,  but  are  otherwise  well, 
should  reckon  just  how  much  food  they  consume  each 
day,  and  if  the  quantity  eaten  does  not  produce  at  least 
3,000  calories  of  heat  (see  dietaries)  for  moderate  work 
and  average  size,  the  diet  is  deficient.  Food  in  great  ex- 
cess causes  indigestion,  which  may  prevent  the  formation 
of  fat.  Such  persons  will  likely  have  sour  stomachs  and 
heartburn,  with  gaseous  eructation  (see  gastritis  and  di- 
lated stomach).  Those  who  have  excessive  acid  secretions 
will  not  have  a  sour  stomach  from  fermentation,  until  the 
stomach  becomes  dilated.  Persons  of  this  tendency  are 
nearly  always  hungry,  and  are  sometimes  charged  with 
"eating  so  much  that  it  makes  them  poor  to  carry  it." 
Diet. 

The  first  requisite  is  freedom  from  worry  or  mental 
strain.  Then  regular  habits  and  plenty  of  sleep.  Ten 
hours'  sleep  is  a  great  aid  toward  the  accumulation  of  fat. 
There  must  be  no  excesses  of  any  character,  and  two  or 
three  moderately  cold  baths  (in  a  warm  room),  should 
be  taken  every  week.  After  each  bath  crash  towels  or 
flesh  brushes  must  be  used  for  at  least  ten  minutes,  until 
the  skin  glows.  People  who  are  "run  down,"  should  not 
usually  be  put  on  large  quantities  of  starch  and  fat.  The 
system  must  be  toned  up  by  moderate  quantities  of  food 
that  are  easily  digested.  Malted  wheat  gluten  and  beat'^n 
eggs,  with  well-cooked  wheat  foods,  containing  fine  bran. 


OBESITY  391 

will  secure  activity  of  the  bowels  and  put  the  system  in 
condition.  Cream,  nut  butler,  and  malted  nuts  will  fatten 
the  quickest  of  all  foods.  It  is  a  common  notion  that 
both  milk  and  water  »e  fattening.  The  ingestion  of  large 
quantities  of  water  may  cause  more  fat  to  be  stored  in  the 
system,  but  it  could  not,  of  itself,  make  fat;  and  milk  is  not 
ordinarily  more  than  three  or  four  per  cent.  fat.  Starch 
digestion  will  greatly  be  increased  by  using  dry  food.  Tea 
and  coffee  should  be  dropped  in  favor  of  hot  water  and 
milk,  or  cereal  coffee.  The  quantity  should  not  exceed 
four  or  five  ounces  at  a  meal.  Particular  care  should  be 
taken  to  dress  warmly.  If  the  leanness  be  due  to  diarrhoea 
or  female  diseases,  or,  in  fact,  any  disease,  they  must  be 
treated  accordingly.  Tobacco  users  should  quit  the  habit, 
oi  at  least  use  the  least  possible. 

Obesity — Corpulence. 

Obesity  is  the  accumulation  of  an  excessive  amount  of 
fat  in  the  body. 

Causes. 

Its  most  usual  cause  is  over-eating,  although  some 
obese  people  eat  very  little.  In  most  cases  there  is  a  heredi- 
tary tendency  to  corpulency,  which  readily  develops  wlien 
the  diet  and  habits  favor  it.  The  most  fattening  foods 
ordinarily  used  are  fat  meat,  butter,  lard,  or  other  fat 
used  in  cooking,  cream,  sugar,  bread,  potatoes,  the  cereals 
and  nuts.  The  yolks  of  eggs  should  also  be  included. 
Water  does  not  produce  fat,  but  favors  its  accumulation. 
Alcoholic  liquors,  especially  beer,  produce  some  fat,  and 
besides  being  fattening,  they  cause  tissue  changes  and  the 
deposit  of  fat  that  would  otherwise  be  burned  up.  Muscu- 
lar inactivity  aids  in  the  accumulation  of  fat,  because  fat 
is  consumed  by  muscular  exercise.  Those  who  are  anae- 
mic often  become  fat  because  poor  blood  will  not  carry 
enough  oxygen  to  burn  up  the  elements  that  make    fat. 


392  EFFCTS  OF  OBESITY 

Those  who  are  fat  and  anaemic  suffer  intensely  from  ex- 
posure to  cold. 

Efifects  of  Fat. 

An  excess  of  fat  afifects  the  system  in  the  following 
ways: 

(1)  It  prevents  the  radiation  of  heat;  (2)  interferes 
with  the  action  of  the  muscles  and  various  organs  of  the 
body;  (3)  increases  the  volume  of  blood;  (4)  obstructs 
the  circulation;  (5)  changes  the  structure  of  the  heart  and 
liver  and  weakens  their  action. 

The  first  symptom  that  plainly  indicates  injury  from  an 
excess  of  fat  is  an  increased  rate  in  breathing  from  slight 
exertion,  and  later  without  any  exertion  at  all.  Tliis  con- 
dition is  due,  (1)  to  the  fact  that  the  heart  cannot  force 
the  blood  through  the  lungs  fast  enough;  (2)  to  the  re- 
stricted action  of  the  lungs.  The  accumulation  of  fat  in 
the  abdomen  prevents  the  descent  of  the  diaphragm  and 
the  full  expansion  and  contraction  of  the  lungs. 

An  excess  of  fat  is  a  common  cause  of  heart  failure  and 
apoplexy.  The  increased  volume  of  blood  and  the  in- 
creased resistance  to  the  flow  of  blood  overwork  the  heart. 
This  is  noticeable  when  an  obese  person  rapidly  climbs 
a  hill,  or  even  a  stairway.  There  will  be  a  throbbing  of 
the  heart,  a  fullness  of  the  head,  and  a  fainting  sensation. 
Dietetic  and  Hygienic  Treatment. 

Many  cures  for  obesity  have,  from  time  to  time,  been 
advocated,  but  almost  all  of  them  at  the  expense  of  diges- 
tion. A  good  many  women  resort  to  vinegar  drinking, 
without  much  reduction  of  fat  and  probably  great  injury 
to  their  digestive  organs.  The  use  of  cathartics  is  objec- 
tionable for  the  same  reason,  so  that  the  treatment  for 
this  disease  mainly  comes  to  a  restriction  as  to  food  and 
drink,  and  sufficient  exercise  to  burn  up  the  excess  of  fat. 
The  ordinary  foods  that  produce  fat,  are  starch,  all  the 


DIET  IN  OBESITY  393 

cereals,  sugar,  syrup  or  sweetened  foods,  cream,  biutrr, 
fat  meat,  lard  and  nuts.  Whether  meat  from  which  all 
fat  has  been  removed  would  produce  fat  has  not  been 
satisfactorily  determined,  but  it  is  generally  believed  that 
it  will  not.  Single  articles  of  food  at  each  meal  have 
often  been  recommended.  Only  one  good  effect  could 
possibly  result  from  this,  and  that  is,  that  the  appetite 
would  be  quickly  satisfied  and  only  a  small  amount  of 
food  eaten.  Such  a  dietary  may  cause  disease  because 
there  is  no  certainty  that  the  necessary  food  elements 
would  be  supplied.  Obesity  is  often  difficult  to  treat,  be- 
cause obese  persons  frequently  have  idiosyncrasies,  and 
the  disease  is  seldom  found  without  complications.  The 
diseases  obesity  seems  to  favor  are  gout,  rheumatism, 
asthma,  heart  diseases  and  dyspepsia.  Rheumatism  and 
gout  require  plenty  of  water  and  a  vegetable  diet.  In  such 
cases,  the  diet  should  consist  mainly  of  such  garden  vege- 
tables as  string  beans,  beets,  cabbage,  cauliflower,  celery, 
stewed  onions,  lettuce,  spinach,  turnips,  parsnips,  and  car- 
rots. All  should  be  well  cooked  and  chopped  crosswise 
of  their  fibre.  For  the  tissue-forming  foods,  fresh  water 
fish,  skimmed  milk,  the  whites  of  eggs,  and  prepared  wheat 
gluten.  Two  or  three  ounces  of  entire  wheat  bread,  or 
potatoes  may  be  allowed  each  day.  If  this  diet  does  not 
make  the  bowels  active  use  plenty  of  bran  and  wheat  mid- 
lings,  which  should  be  boiled,  roasted  and  re-ground  as 
fine  as  possible.  It  may  then  be  made  into  cakes,  but  no 
shortening  should  be  used.  If  obesity  is  not  complicated 
with  gout,  rheumatism,  or  asthma,  lean  beef,  mutton, 
veal  and  chicken  may  be  added  to  the  dietary  and  milk, 
except  for  flavoring,  taken  from  it.  Water  unites  with 
other  substances  to  form  fat,  and  except  where  there  is 
some  disease  such  as  rheumatism,  that  requires  a  large 
amount  of  water  to  carry  away  efTete  matter,  the  dryer  the 


394  DIET  IN  OBESITY 

diet,  the  more  rapid  the  reduction  in  weight.  The  object 
is  to  consume  more  water  than  is  taken  into  the  system, 
thus  compelhng  the  use  of  water  already  in  the  body  and 
the  burning  up  of  accumulated  fat.  All  fried  foods  are 
prohibited,  because  of  the  fat  used  in  cooking.  One  ounce 
of  butter  a  day  may  be  allowed  if  no  cream  or  shortened 
foods  are  eaten.  Three  or  four  ounces  of  weak  coffee, 
water,  milk  and  water,  or  cereal  cofifee,  at  each  meal  is  all 
the  fluid  that  should  be  drunk  at  meals.  A  small  quantity 
of  water  between  meals  is  allowable.  It  is  necessary  to 
eat  some  starch  and  fat,  and  to  take  fluids,  but  the  quan- 
tity consumed  must  be  much  below  an  ordinary  diet. 
Gluten  biscuit,  made  by  the  Sanitarium  Health  Food 
Company,  should  be  substituted  for  bread,  if  circum- 
stances will  permit. 

^Mountain  climbing,  gymnastics  and  Turkish  baths  are 
advocated  for  obesity;  but,  before  any  vigorous  exercise 
is  undertaken,  it  would  be  well  to  ascertain  hoAV  much  the 
heart  will  stand.  When  there  is  no  danger  of  heart  fail- 
ure, plenty  of  bodily  exercise,  with  restricted  diet,  will 
quickly  reduce  fat.  The  fat-reducing  value  of  Turkish 
baths  is  greatly  over-rated,  because  the  water  loss  from 
the  sweating  process  is  likely  to  be  soon  replaced.  The 
baths  are  useful  to  remove  effete  matter  and  aid  in  main- 
taining a  dry  diet  without  injury. 

Headache. 
This  ailment  has  so  many  causes  that  a  complete  de- 
scription of  them  would  fill  a  volume;  but  they  may  be 
briefly  described  by  saying:  that  headaches  are  caused  by 
poisonous  substances  in  the  blood,  and  by  some  disturb- 
ance in  circulation  and  diseases  of  the  nervous  system. 

The  blood  may  contain  toxic  substances  from  indiges- 
tion, effete  matter  from  incomplete  elimination,  or  from 


HEADACHE  395 

the  various  micro-orgfanisms  that  produce  contagious  or 
infectious  diseases. 

The  periodical  attacks  of  sick-headache  are  usually  due 
to  excess  of  uric  acid  m  the  system.  The  only  cure  known 
is  to  live  mainly  on  a  cereal  diet,  take  out-door  exercise, 
plenty  of  water  and  daily  baths. 

Disturbance  in  circulation  results  from  disease,  mental 
excitement  and  pressure  from  clothing.  Headaches  so 
produced  can  only  be  cured  by  removing  the  causes  that 
produce  them. 

See  diseases  of  the  stomach,  intestines,  liver,  asthma, 
rheumatism  and  epilepsy. 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 

ACUTE  DISEASES. 

Cold. 

Cold  is  an  elastic  term  that  is  applied  to  a  large  number 
of  symptoms,  varying  much  in  severity.  The  most  com- 
mon form  is  called  coryza,  but  better  known  as  "cold  in 
the  head."  This  form  of  cold  is  an  acute  inflammation  of 
the  mucous  membranes  of  the  nose  and  adjacent  pas- 
sages. The  swollen  membranes  cause  an  oppressive  sense 
of  fullness  in  the  head,  and  may  close  the  air  passage  in 
one  or  both  nostrils,  which  makes  it  necessary  to  breathe 
through  the  mouth.  At  the  beginning  of  the  attack  there 
will  be  a  watery  discharge  from  the  nose.  As  the  more 
acute  symptoms  subside,  the  discharge  becomes  thicker, 
and  sometimes  quite  hard. 

Tosilitis — Quinsy. 

Tliis  is  another  manifestation  of  cold,  but  instead  of  the 
inflammation  of  the  membranes  of  the  nose,  it  is  an  in- 
flammation of  the  throat  and  tonsils.  Children  are  much 
more  subject  to  the  disease  than  adults. 

Pharyngitis — Sore  Throat. 

Phar\-ngitis  is  an  inflammation  of  the  membranes  of  the 
throat,  and  is  a  common  form  of  cold. 
Acute  Bronchitis. 

This  is  an  inflammation  of  the  lining  membranes  of  the 
trachea  and  bronchial  tubes — the  air  passages  of  the  lungs. 
It  may  follow  a  cold  in  the  head,  sore  throat,  or  the  cold 
may  first  affect  the  bronchial  membranes.  There  will 
usually  be  a  feeling  of  constriction  in  the  front  of  the  chest, 
difficult  breathing,  and  a  pronounced  cough,  although  the 
cough  may  be  a  symptom  in  other  diseases,  especially 


398  HOW  TO  CURE  A  COLD 

from  the  throat.     All  of  the  membranous  inflammations 
incident  to  cold,  may  become  chronic,  if  the  causes  pro- 
ducing them  are  constant,  or  even  frequent. 
Causes  of  Colds. 

Colds  are  caused  by  chilling  the  surface  of  the  body, 
especially  after  being  overheated.  Cold,  damp  atmos- 
phere, insufficient  clothing,  chilling  the  skin,  overheated 
and  badly-ventilated  houses,  are  all  causes  of  colds.  It 
is  likely  that  over-eating  and  constipation  are  more  fre- 
quently the  cause  of  colds,  than  is  supposed.  Whatever 
disturbs  the  circulation  of  the  blood  and  prevents  the  elim- 
ination of  waste  may  cause  a  cold. 

Hygienic  Treatment. 

Colds  should  be  prevented  by  proper  living,  but  when 
once  contracted,  how  shall  we  get  rid  of  them?  The  an- 
swer is  very  simple:  remove  the  cause  by  restoring  the 
functions  of  the  skin,  and  other  excretory  outlets.  This 
can  best  be  done  by  vigorous  exercise  sufficient  to  start 
profuse  perspiration.  Turkish,  vapor,  or  other  baths,  that 
open  the  pores  of  the  skin  and  cause  free  perspiration,  will 
cure  a  cold  at  the  beginning  of  the  attack,  and  shorten 
one  already  existing. 

After  a  sweat,  the  skin  should  be  cleansed,  and  sponged 
at  least  three  times.  The  first  time  with  tepid,  then  cool, 
and  finally  with  moderately  cold  water.  This  must  be 
followed  by  thorough  rubbing  of  the  skin,  dry  clothing 
and  a  temperature  moderately  warm  for  several  hours,  or 
patient  may  go  to  bed  and  keep  warm.  The  bowels  must 
be  kept  active  and  houses  well  ventilated.  Cold  packs 
with  dry  covering,  give  great  relief  from  cough  and  dis- 
comfort in  the  face. 

Diet. 

In  an  acute  attack  it  will  be  well  to  eat  but  little.  The 
maxim  "(eed  a  cold  and  star\^e  a  fever"  would  be  better  if 


MALAPtA  399 

rendered:  "li  yon  will  feed  a  cold  yon  will  have  a  fever  to 
starve."  The  diet  in  ordinary  acute  cases  should  be  laxa- 
tive (see  constipation)  and  reduced  one-half  for  two  or  three 
days.  In  chronic  cases,  where  the  patient  is  weak,  a  rich 
diet  should  be  allowed  and  the  patient  fed  on  well-cooked 
cereals,  gluten,  eggs,  milk,  powdered  meat  and  powdered 
nuts. 

JMalaria. 

It  is  now  generally  accepted  as  a  fact,  that  malaria  is  a 
germ  disease.  Where  there  is  rich  land  and  heavy  vege- 
tation, there  will  likely  be  malaria  about  the  end  of  the 
Summer,  and  in  hot  climates  all  the  year.  There  is  also 
more  or  less  malaria  adjacent  to  streams,  and  it  is  believed 
that  it  always  exists  in  newly-cultivated  land. 
Symptoms. 

Languor,  headache,  aching  of  body  and  limbs,  chilly 
sensations,  followed  by  fever.  There  are  many  types  of 
malaria  manifested  as  "dumb"  ague,  daily,  alternate,  and 
third  day  ague.  Also  many  forms  of  intermittent  fever. 
It  is  supposed  that  the  germs  of  different  types  of  malaria 
require  different  lengths  of  time  for  development.  At  a 
certain  stage,  they  produce  the  acute  attacks  with  chill, 
high  fever,  perspiration.  When  the  fever  subsides,  the 
symptoms  may  disappear  until  more  germs  are  matured. 
Diet. 

It  is  remarkable  that  so  little  attention  has  been  paid 
to  the  dietetic  treatment  of  this  disease.  Good  blood  and 
an  active  liver  resist  malaria  without  any  drugs,  but  this 
fact  seems  to  have  been  lost  sight  of  in  its  treatment.  We 
have  seen  patients  treated  for  months  with  constant  recur- 
ring attacks,  without  any  notice  being  taken  of  the  fact  that 
the  patient  was  living  on  fried  pork,  hard-fried  eggs,  hot 
biscuits,  fried  potatoes,  and  strong  coffee.  No  one  can  eat 
such  a  diet  and  keep  well,  much  less  get  weH,  when  debili- 


400  DIET  IN  MALAKIA 

tated  by  malaria,  which  engorges  the  I'ver,  impoverishes 
the  blood  and  weakens  the  whole  digestive  system.  After 
an  attack  of  malaria,  the  system  is  a  much  damaged  fort- 
ress. The  blood  is  the  agency  of  repair,  and  food  the  ma- 
terial. The  stomach  and  bowels  will  need  to  be  cleansed 
and  disinfected,  and  as  soon  as  the  fever  is  down,  easily 
digested,  and  non-fermentable  foods  should  be  given,  such 
as  egg  punch,  beaten  egg,  in  three  parts  milk  and  one  part 
cream,  that  have  been  sterilized,  or  pasteurized.  Gelatine 
may  be  used  instead  of  egg,  where  more  agreeable.  These 
may  be  flavored  to  suit.  In  most  cases  sour  fruit,  such 
as  oranges,  lemons,  peaches,  baked  apples,  strawberries, 
and  fresh  grape  juice  will  give  good  results.  The  diet  in 
convalescence  should  be  similar  to  that  in  catarrh  of  the 
stomach.  All  coarse,  tough,  or  indigestible  substances 
and  fermented  foods  must  be  avoided.  The  cereals  sdiould 
be  well  cooked  and  malted.  Baths  and  general  care  will 
greatly  aid.  Get  all  foul  and  eflfete  matter  out,  and  good 
healthy  blood  as  soon  as  possible,  and  malaria  will  seek 
weaker  victims. 

Scarlet  Fever. 

Scarlet  fever  is  a  contagious  and  infectious  disease,  and 
is  an  inflammation  of  both  skin  and  mucous  membranes 
of  the  body.     It  has  three  periods: 

1st.     Invasion,  which  lasts  from  24  to  48  hours. 

2nd.     Eruption,  which  lasts  from  5  to  7  days. 

8rd.     Desquamation,  from  the  7th  to  the  21st  day. 

Eruption  commences  second  or  third  day  after  fever, 
and  consists  of  very  numerous  points  about  the  size  of  pin 
heads.  Between  these  the  skin  is  of  natural  color.  As  the 
eruption  develops,  the  red  points  unite,  but  fade  in  from 
five  to  eight  days. 
%  Symptoms. 

Pain  in  the  back  and  limbs,  coldness  of  skin,  headache, 


SCARLET  FEVER  401 

nausea  and  vomiting,  followed  by  sensation  of  heat  and 
high  temperature,  often  accompanied  by  delirium.  In 
severe  cases,  the  tongue  is  swollen  and  presents  a  straw- 
berry appearance.  Symptoms  increase  in  severity  as  erup- 
tion appears.  The  urine  is  scant  and  of  dark  red  hue. 
The  nervous  system  and  kidneys  are  most  afTected  by  the 
scarlet  fever  poison.  The  disease  can  be  communicated 
by  personal  contact,  by  atmosphere,  clothing,  animals,  or 
food,  especially  milk.  The  scales  are  the  most  contagi- 
ous. The  darker  the  color  of  the  eruption  the  more  severe 
the  disease.  ^Measles,  or  erythema,  are  liable  to  be  mis- 
taken for  scarlet  fever.  There  is  this  difference:  In  scar- 
let fever  the  eruption  first  appears  on  the  neck  and  chest, 
while  in  measles,  first  on  face.  Eruption  does  not  always 
appear,  and  in  such  cases  it  is  difficult  to  distinguish  it 
from  diphtheria.  The  urine  of  scarlatinous  patients  should 
be  carefully  examined  every  day  after  the  eruption  has 
appeared,  as  it  not  infrequently  happens  the  kidneys  are 
badly  inflamed,  and  if  not  watched  may  result  in  Bright's 
disease  and  death. 

Diet. 

This  disease  is  so  frequently  a  source  of  kianey  disease, 
that  great  care  should  be  exercised  in  feeding,  until  re- 
covery is  complete.  Alilk  is  the  best  food.  It  may  be 
diluted  with  well-cooked  gruels,  but  not  with  gelatine  or 
other  animal  food.  In  serious  cases  milk  should  be  the 
principal  food  for  some  weeks.  Efifervescing  w^aters,  bar- 
ley water,  orange  and  fruit  juices  (except  astringent  ones 
— raspberries,  etc.),  may  be  given  to  moisten  the  mouth 
and  quench  the  thirst.  During  high  fever  the  patient 
will  take  from  two  to  five  ounces  of  fluid  every  hour.  In 
using  animal  foods  during  convalescence,  eggs,  fish  and 
chicken  should  be  allowed  before  other  meats. 


402  DIPHTHERIA 

Diphtheria  is  a  specific  infectious  disease  caused  by  a 
microbe  known  as  Klebs-Loeffler  bacillus.  It  is  locally 
manifested  by  an  intense  inflammation  of  the  throat,  with 
constitutional  symptoms,  due  to  poison  produced  by  the 
bacillus.  Infection  may  occur  by  being  near  the  patient, 
or  may  be  carried  by  healthy  persons  to  others.  Many 
cases  occur  by  relaxing  rules  of  precaution  after  patients 
seem  to  be  about  well.  The  virus  attaches  itself  to  cloth- 
ing, bedding  and  the  room  in  which  the  patient  has  lived. 
Symptoms. 

The  period  of  incubation  is  from  two  to  seven  days. 
There  is  slight  chilliness,  aching  pains  in  the  body  and 
limbs,  followed  by  fever.  Temperature  usually  rises  to 
103,  and  in  severe  cases  104,  the  first  twenty-four  hours. 

In  addition  to  the  danger  to  life  which  the  diphtheretic 
throat  may  cause,  the  kidneys  are  liable  to  be  seriously 
afifected,  so  that  the  diseases  which  result  indirectly  from 
the  poisoned  condition  of  the  blood  need  to  be  carefully 
guarded  against.  The  urine  should  be  examined  daily  for 
kidney  complications. 

Diet. 

Diphtheria  is  the  most  malignant  of  the  common  dis- 
eases, and  needs  especial  care  in  feeding.  Plain  ice  cream 
without  sugar  is  both  nourishing  and  soothing  to  the 
throat.  Repugnance  to  food  is  a  bad  diagnostic  sign, 
and  every  efifort  possible  must  be  made  to  overcome  it,  by 
offering  a  variety  of  flavors.  Foods  thickened  with  cream, 
beaten  eggs,  or  gruels,  will  sometimes  be  more  easily 
swallowed  than  either  milk  or  water.  If  there  is  a  feeble 
pulse  and  danger  of  heart  failure,  alcoholic  stimulation 
may  be  required.  In  such  cases,  egg-nog  and  milk  punch 
should  be  given. 

Haemoptvsis — Haemorrhage  of  the  Lungs. 

Haemorrhage  of  the  lungs  or  blood-spitting,  has  many 


HAEMORRHAGE     MEASLES  40^ 

1.  Rupture  from  external  violence,  as  from  blows  or 
falls. 

2.  Molent  exertion,  as  an  attempt  to  perform  some  ex- 
traordinary feat,  and  inflanmiation  from  any  cause,  throw- 
ing an  excess  of  blood  to  the  lungs. 

3.  Secondary  effect  of  heart  disease,  pressure  of  tu- 
mors, or  enlarged  glands. 

4.  The  perforation  of  blood  vessels  by  disease. 

In  hemorrhage  of  the  lungs  the  blood  is  coughed  up, 
not  vomited.  In  either  case  it  may  be  possible  for  the 
blood  to  come  from  the  throat.  The  patient  must  lie  flat 
on  the  back  without  pillow,  and  must  not  move  or  speak. 
Food  must  be  administered  with  a  spoon.  As  the  volume 
of  blood  must  be  kept  as  small  as  possible,  but  little  fluid 
should  be  given.  Use  cracked  ice  to  quench  the  thirst; 
alcohol  may  do  harm.  Beaten  egg  and  meat  powder, 
with  small  quantities  of  milk,  should  form  the  principal 
part  of  the  diet.  All  fluids  must  be  given  cold,  or  only 
lukewarm.  The  prepared  foods  may  be  given  with  milk. 
Should  there  be  nausea,  rectal  feeding  must  be  substituted 
to  prevent  retching  or  vomiting. 
Measles. 

Measles  is  a  contagious  and  infectious  disease,  mani- 
festing itself  by  an  eruption  of  red  spots  accompanied  by 
catarrh  of  the  air  passages  and  more  or  less  fever.  The 
eruption  makes  its  appearance  first  on  the  face,  then  upon 
the  neck,  chest,  over  the  body,  and  lastly  upon  the  back 
of  the  hand,  which  usually  requires  four  days  from  first 
appearance  on  the  face.  As  it  disappears  it  assumes  more 
of  a  yellowish  red.  The  spots  are  crescent-shaped,  and 
from  one-eighth  to  two-fifths  of  an  inch  in  diameter,  and 
are  usually  bright  red.  Sometimes  the  eruption  is  so  thick 
as  to  entirely  cover  portions  of  the  skin.  In  severe  cases, 
where  there  is  hemorrhage,  black  measles  develop.  Aver- 
age period  of  incubation  is  eight  days. 


404  PNEUMONIA 

Symptoms. 
The  first  symptoms,  eight  to  ten  days  after  exposure,  is 
a  languid,  chilly  feeling,  and  in  young  children,  convul- 
sions occasionally  occur.  There  will  be  pain  in  front  part 
of  the  head  and  general  feeling  akin  to  a  severe  cold  in  the 
head,  and  likely  a  constant  watery  and  irritating  dis- 
charge from  the  nose,  with  sneezing  and  coughing.  Fever 
will  be  developed  the  second  day  and  continue  two  to  four 
days. 

Diet. 
Similar  to  that  used  in  fevers. 

Pneumonia. 
Tills  disease  is  an  acute  inflammation  of  the  general 
structure  of  the  lungs,  which"  may  invade  any  part  of  the 
entire  lungs. 

Causes. 
It  is  probably  due  to  a  germ,  but  as  it  cannot  find  lodg- 
ment in  a  healthy  person,  it  may  be  said  to  be  due  to  ex- 
posure, cold  and  wet,  bad  air,  over-eating,  impoverished 
blood,  especially  where  it  is  an  incident  to  malaria,  and 
neglect  of  skin.  Habits  which  allow  waste  to  accumulate 
in  the  system,  make  pneumonia  possible  with  but  very  lit- 
tle exposure.  It  is  now  conceded  to  be  an  infectious  dis- 
ease. 

Symptoms. 
It  is  usually  preceded  by  a  cold  with   accompanying 
aches  and  pains;  these  are  followed  by  a  chill,  and  a  rapid 
rise  of  fever. 

Diet. 
Pneumonia  is  a  disease  of  short  duration  in  acute  form, 
but  it  needs  careful  dietetic  treatment.  Vomiting  must  be 
guarded  against.  Milk,  meat  juice,  the  white  of  egg 
beaten,  and  whisky  are  mainly  relied  on.  Cereals  cooked 
as  heretofore  described  may  be  malted  and  given  in  form 


SKIN  DISEASES  405 

of  gruels,  without  sugar.     In  convalescence  an  easily  di- 
gested and  nourishing  diet  will  be  necessary. 
Skin  Diseases. 

Skin  diseases  are  caused  by  parasites  (such  as  itch),  con- 
tagious and  infectious  diseases,  diseases  of  the  heart  and 
blood  vessels,  nervous  disorders,  but  most  commonly  by 
some  form  of  starch  or  fat  indigestion,  or  deficient  elimin- 
ation of  nitrogenous  waste.  The  principal  investigator 
of  urfc  acid  diseases,  classes  skin  eruptions  among  them. 
Erythema,  or  Urticaria  (Hives). 

This  is  the  most  common  of  all  skin  eruptions.  There 
is  also  a  form  known  as  nettle  rash,  so  well  known  it  needs 
no  description. 

Causes, 

They  are  caused  by  some  article  of  diet,  most  usually 
oysters,  lobsters,  strawberries,  bananas,  sausage,  rich 
gravy,  mushroons,  cheese,  and  sometimes  sour  fruit. 
Bathe  the  eruption  with  soda  water — small  teaspoonful  of 
soda  to  pint  of  water — and  eat  a  plain  cereal  diet. 
Acne. 

This  is  an  eruption  of  red  pimples  on  the  face,  that  do 
not  readily  disappear. 

Causes. 

Excess  of  fats  or  starch,  doughnuts,  sausage,  fried  meat, 
buckwheat  cakes,  or  griddle  cakes,  pastry,  excess  of  sugar. 
All  over-rich  or  indigestible  foods  are  bad  and  should 
be  left  out  of  the  diet;  also  tea,  cofYee  and  alcohol  in  all 
forms.  Little  liquid  should  be  drunk  at  meal  time,  but  a 
glass  of  hot  water  a  half  hour  before,  when  practicable, 
especially  before  breakfast,  and  before  retiring  at  night 
will  be  beneficial,  if  not  long  continued. 
Eczema. 

This  is  the  most  common  of  all  skin  diseases  not  of  a 
transient  nature,  and  begins  with  an  inflamed  patch  which 


406  ECZEMA     YELLOW  FEVER 

often  spreads.  There  are  usually  red  pimples,  but  the  red 
spots  may  only  be  swollen  vesicles  with  watery  discharges 
followed  by  thickening,  scabbing,  scaling  and  intense  itch- 
ing. 

Cause. 

Excessive  meat  eating  and  other  causes  enumerated  in 
acne.     The  same  rules  apply  to  diet. 
Yellow  Fever. 

Yellow  fever  is  an  infectious  disease  of  a  violent  char- 
acter that  is  caused  by  a  specific  germ  which  thrives  in 
animal  and  vegetable  matter.  It  is  essentially  a  dis- 
ease of  the  tropics,  and  is  rarely  observed  above40  degrees 
north  and  20  degrees  south  latitude,  and  is  always  checked 
by  cold  weather.  It  is  usually  spread  from  one  part  to  an- 
other by  ships.  The  period  of  incubation  is  from  twelve 
hours  to  four  days. 

Symptoms. 

Commences  with  a  chill,  alternating  with  flushes  of 
heat,  gradually  settling  down  into  a  regular  fever.  The 
skin  varies  from  dark  or  swarthy  yellowy  to  dark  orange; 
bowels  usually  constipated  in  the  beginning,  followed  by 
violent  diarrhoea.  As  the  disease  progresses,  pain  in  the 
stomach  and  bowels  become  severe,  and  they  are  sensitive 
to  pressure.  The  most  pronounced  symptom  is  the  black 
vomit,  due  to  hemorrhages  from  the  violent  inflammation 
of  the  stomach,  intestines,  kidneys,  spleen  and  liver. 
Nothing  but  predigested  food  should  be  given,  until  the 
most  severe  symptoms  have  subsided.  Then  the  diet  must 
be  soft  and  easily  digested. 

Laryngismus  Stridulus — Spasmodic  Croup. 

Spasmodic  croup  is  the  ordinary  croup,  in  which  the 
spasm  affects  the  muscles  of  the  larynx  and  makes  breath- 
ing difficult,  causing  a  wheezing  sound  at  each  respiration. 
The  disease  seldom  aflfects  any  but  children,  altbough 


CROUP     BLOOD  POISONING  407 

hysterical  persons  and  grown-up  people  having  a  catarrhal 
inflammation  of  the  mucous  membrane,  are  sometimes 
subject  to  it.  It  is  said  to  be  an  ailment  of  the  nerves,  and 
is  entirely  reflex,  so  that  the  real  trouble  is  to  be  found 
elsewhere,  and  most  likely  deranged  digestion. 
Causes. 

Over-feeding,   improper  food,   constipation,  colds  and 
teething.     (See  infant  feeding  and  dietaries  for  children.) 
Septicaemia  (Blood  Poisoning). 

This  is  a  constitutional  disease  due  to  poisoning  from 
the  absorption  of  pus  into  the  blood.  Bacteria  are  always 
present  and  enter  the  system  from  some  local  injury  or 
decomposing  tissue  in  the  system,  such  as  typhoid  ulcers, 
sloughing  membrane  of  throat  in  diphtheria,  abdominal 
abscesses,  decomposing  placenta  remaining  in  the  womb 
after  child-birth  or  miscarriage,  suppuration  in  small-pox, 
and  especially  wounds  made  in  handling  dead  bodies 
which  are  in  an  advanced  state  of  putrefaction ;  also  likely 
to  result  where  a  large  part  of  the  skin  has  been  burned, 
and  from  inflammations  where  pus  is  formed  in  consid- 
erable amount. 

Symptoms. 

Decided  chill  and  rise  in  temperature,  but  often  irregu- 
lar chills,  followed  by  profuse  and  exhausting  night 
sweats.  Skin  soon  becomes  dry  and  hot;  pulse  120  to 
140,  small  and  intermittent.  Tongue  at  first  coated  with 
a  white  fur,  later  becomes  glazed,  dry,  grayish-brown  and 
cracked;  skin  slightly  jaundiced,  and  usually  diarrhoea. 
Prevention. 

Wash  wounds  with  water  that  has  been  boiled,  and  in 
any  disease  W'hich  pus  is  formed,  care  must  be  taken  to 
have  it  removed,  that  it  may  not  be  reabsorbed. 
Diet. 

Plaited  milk,  malted  cereals,  pancreatinized  meat  pow- 
der, or  eggs,  and  beef  blood. 


408  WHOOPING  COUGH     SCROFULA 

Whooping  cougli  is  an  acute  contagious  disease  and  is 
primarily  a  catarrhal  bronchitis  or  specific  catarrh  of  tlie 
mucous  membranes  of  respiratory  tract,  and  attended  by 
a  peculiar  laryngeal  and  bronchial  spasm.  It  depends  on 
a  specific  germ  given  off  by  the  breath  and  conveyed 
through  the  air  to  the  healthy.  Incubation  varies  from 
five  days  to  two  weeks.  It  may  be  carried  by  clothing, 
and  contracted  by  breathing  infected  air.  The  fever  in 
early  stage  is  intermittent,  but  great  languor  and  restless- 
ness are  common. 

The  diet  should  be  wholesome.     (See  infant  feeding.) 
Scrofula. 

Scrofula  is  a  disease  which  manifests  itself  in  various 
parts  of  the  body  and  is  doubtless  a  blood  disease.  It 
most  usually  breaks  out  on  the  skin,  but  may  afifect  the 
mucous  membranes,  bones,  tissues,  glands,  and  in  fact  al- 
most any  part  of  the  body  may  become  diseased  from 
scrofula.  The  tubercle  bacilli  are  found  in  scrofulous 
sores,  and  it  is  not  known-  whether  it  is  the  cause,  or 
whether  it  appears  after  the  disease,  but  it  is  now  believed 
that  tuberculosis  and  hereditary  syphilis  cover  most  or 
all  cases  of  scrofula.  Both  the  disease  and  a  scrofulous 
tendency  seem  to  be  hereditary,  as  well  as  acquired,  from 
improper  feeding,  and  unsanitary  surroundings.  Scrofu- 
lous children  usually  have  white  skins,  delicate  blue  veins 
large,  lustrous  eyes  and  show  an  irritable,  nervous  dis- 
position and  premature  brightness. 

Diet  should  consist  of  cereals,  milk,  eggs,  and  nuts. 
Pleurisy. 

Pleurisy  is  an  inflammation  of  the  investing  membrane 
of  the  lungs.     It  is  caused  by  some  functional  derange- 
ment of  other  organs  of  the  body. 
Symptoms. 

Pleurisy  usually  begins   with   some   sharp,   stitch-like 


PLEURISY     ERYSIPELAS  409 

pain  ill  the  chest,  which,  for  a  time,  increases  with  each 
breath.  The  pulse  becomes  quickened,  the  breathing  is 
rapid  and  difficult.  Temperature  ranges  from  100  to  104 
and  is  usually  accompanied  by  a  short,  dry  cough,  that 
is  very  distressing.  The  attacks  sometimes  begin  with  a 
chill,  and  such  cases  are  difficult  to  distinguish  from  pneu- 
monia. 

Diet. 

The  derangement  of  other  organs  that  cause  pleurisy 
should  be  ascertained  and  the  diet  adapted. 
Erysipelas. 

Erysipelas  is  a  contagious  and  infectious  disease  caused 
by  micro-organisms.  It  usually  first  aj^pears  in  wounds, 
but  not  always;  for  parts  of  the  body  supposed  to  be 
healthy  may  be  first  attacked.  The  local  manifestations 
may  be  found  in  any  of  the  lining  membranes,  but  it  is 
more  likely  to  affect  the  skin  and  tissues  beneath.  It  is 
highly  contagious  among  surgical  cases  and  women  in 
child-birth.  Buildings  may  remain  infected  an  indefinite 
period.  It  may  also  be  transmitted  by  atmosphere,  cloth- 
ing, and  in  other  ways.  The  part  of  the  body  having  lo- 
cal symptoms  will  have  a  deep  rose  color,  and  it  may  be 
distinguished  from  rheumatism  by  the  rapidity  with  which 
the  inflammation  spreads. 

Diet  should  be  light  and  nourishing;  such  as  milk, 
cream,  meat  juice,  beaten  or  lightly  boiled  eggs,  cereal 
gruels  and  nut  puree. 

Apoplexy. 

Apoplexy  is  a  haemorrhage  or  stoppage  in  the  blood 
vessels  of  the  brain.  It  may  be  preceded  by  dizziness,  and 
sense  of  discomfort,  or  it  may  come  suddenly.  There  is 
loss  of  consciousness  and  frequently  death  in  a  few  min- 
utes depending  on  the  size  of  the  haemorrhage  or  clot  on 
the  brain.     Paralysis  is  likely  to  follow,  although  it  some- 


410  APOPLEXY     MUMPS     LOCKJAW 

times  comes  from  softening  of  the  brain  and  from  dis- 
eases of  the  spinal  cord.  Great  care  is  required  in  feed- 
ing, and  food  must  be  given  in  teaspoonful  doses,  and  the 
abihty  of  the  patient  to  swallow  noticed.  In  some  cases 
it  may  be  necessary  to  put  a  tube  down  the  throat  and 
feed  through  it,  or  feeding  by  the  rectum  may  be  resorted 
to.  Give  milk  or  egg  lemonade,  or  beaten  eggs  and  milk. 
]\  lumps. 

Mumps  is  a  catarrhal  inflammation  of  the  parotid  glands 
and  may  affect  either  or  both.  It  is  generally  regarded 
as  contagious,  and  is  first  manifested  by  swelling  of  the 
gland  beneath  the  ear,  fever  and  stififness  of  the  jaws.  Fre- 
quently there  are  pains  in  the  limbs  and  chilly  sensations. 
Diet. 

Milk,  gruel  and  broths.    Xo  solid  foods  should  be  given 
and  the  starches  for  gruels  must  be  extra  well  cooked. 
Tetanus — Lockjaw. 

Lockjaw  is  a  disease  of  the  nervous  system  due  to  some 
specific  bacillus  that  enters  through  a  wound.  It  has  re- 
ceived its  name  doubtless  because  of  the  muscular  spasms 
which  first  afifect  the  muscles  of  the  jaw,  and  prevent  open- 
ing of  the  mouth.  It  is  supposed  to  be  a  disease  of  the 
spinal  cord,  but  the  change  in  its  structure  is  so  slight  that 
examinations  made  after  death  do  not  fully  reveal  its 
real  nature.  It  may  result  from  as  slight  an  injury  as  a 
splmter  in  the  hand  or  foot,  or  from  a  small  cut;  may  also 
attack  women  who  have  had  a  miscarriage  or  been  con- 
fined, and  newly-born  children.  The  spasms  have  been 
known  to  be  so  violent  as  to  break  bones,  and  in  bad  cases 
patients  have  been  drawn  into  an  arch,  b-^aring  all  their 
weight  on  the  back  of  the  head  and  heels.  Such  patients 
must  be  fed  through  a  tube  inserted  between  the  teeth 
or  through  the  nostrils.     (See  fevers.) 


TYPHOID  FEVER  411 

Prevent  Lockjaw. 

It  is  important  that  all  wounds  be  cleansed,  especially 
those  caused  by  anything  which  may  be  poisonous,  such 
as  rusty  nails  or  splinters  from  wood  that  has  come  in 
contact  with  dirt.  The  wound  may  be  washed  with  water 
which  has  been  boiled,  then  cleansed  with  turpentine — 
one  part  turpentine  to  ten  ol  water. 
Typhoid  Fever. 

Typhoid  fever  is  a  continuous  fever,  caused  by  an  in- 
fectious poison,  supposed  to  be  due  to  a  micro-org-anism, 
known  as  typhoid  bacillus.  The  fever  usually  lasts  about 
a  month. 

How  Acquired. 

It  is  believed  that  drinking  impure  water  is  the  most 
usual  source  of  typhoid  fever,  although  epidemics  have 
been  traced  to  food,  such  as  infected  oysters  and  milk. 
The  length  of  time  required  for  its  incubation  is  not  very 
definite,  but  is  supposed  to  require  two  or  three  weeks  to 
develop;  sometimes  longer.  The  first  symptoms  are  lan- 
guor, slight  headache,  pain  in  the  limbs,  muscular  weak- 
ness, and  a  general  feeling  of  indifference  and  malaise. 
These  sensations  are  likely  to  increase  with  the  disease 
until  the  fever  becomes  quite  manifest.  It  must  be  re- 
membered that  many  other  ailments  begin  with  similar 
symptoms  so  that  it  is  difficult  to  determine  with  certainty 
when  typhoid  fever  exists,  until  the  more  pronounced 
symptoms,  peculiar  to  typhoid  appear.  The  most  im- 
portant of  these  perhaps  are  (1)  temperature.  In  typhoid 
it  rises  with  remarkable  regularity  from  day  to  day,  and 
is  from  one  to 'two  degrees  higher  in  the  evening  than  in 
the  morning.  (2)  Pale  red  spots.  Generally  at  the  be- 
ginning of  the  second  week,  a  number  of  small  pale  red 
spots  called  roseolae  appear  on  the  skin,  especially  on  the 
chest  and  abdomen.     There  is  also  sensitiveness  in  right 


412  EFFECTS  OF  TYPHOID 

illiac  region.  The  fever  is  now  well  established  and  all  the 
premonitory  symptoms  will  have  disappeared.  The  face 
of  the  patient  will  be  flushed  and  will  likely  have  a  bright 
patch  on  the  cheeks.  Sometimes  there  is  constipation 
but  usually  diarrhoea. 

Effects  of  the  Disease. 

The  typhoid  bacillus  attacks  Peyer's  patches  and  soli- 
tary follicles  in  the  lower  end  of  the  ileum,  just  above  the 
illeo-coecal  valve — the  entrance  into  the  large  intestines. 

About  the  end  of  the  second  week  ulcerations  are 
formed,  wHere  the  bacilli  are  supposed  to  multiply  and 
their  poison  taken  up  by  the  blood.  The  drowsiness 
and  delirium  characteristic  of  tA-phoid  is  the  result  of 
bacterial  poison. 

From  this  brief  explanation  it  will  be  readily  under- 
stood why  typhoid  is  such  a  serious  malady.  In  severe 
cases  the  mucous  membrane  erodes  to  such  an  extent,  as 
to  ulcerate  and  cause  haemorrhage.  This  is  not  neces- 
sarily fatal,  but  is  often  so. 

The  ulcers  sometimes  perforate  the  intestines  and  re- 
cover\'  in  such  cases    is  very  rare,  indeed. 

Besides  the  direct  danger  from  haemorrhage,  patients 
die  from  exhaustion,  and  complications  of  other  diseases, 
especially  pneumonia,  caused  by  the  poisoned  condition 
of  the  blood. 

In  feeding  typhoid  cases  the  following  facts  must  be 
borne  in  mind: 

(1)  Tlie  patient's  strength  must  be  maintained. 

(2)  The  introduction  of  insoluble  food,  winch  may 
cause  perforation-,  is  strictly  prohibited. 

(3)  Food,  which,  owing  to  the  diseased  condition  of 
the  patient,  cannot  be  digested,  w-iTl  probably  cause  fer- 
mentation and  undue  distention  of  the  bowels,  and  haem- 
orrhage. 


DIET  IN  nPHOID  413 

The  matter  of  diet  in  typhoid  fever  is  so  important  as 
to  deserve  extended  notice.  Most  typhoid  patients  die 
of  exhaustion  or  perforation  of  the  bowels,  which  empha- 
sizes the  importance  of  using  great  care  in  feeding.  Milk 
may  disagree  with  patients  and  resort  must  be  had  to 
other  foods.  Where  there  is  nausea  and  foul  stomach, 
lavage  is  often  practiced  with  great  benefit. 

Cereal  gruels,  cooked  four  hours  or  more  and  strained, 
are  often  well  tolerated,  especially  if  malt  extract  be 
added  (made  by  steeping  commercial  malt  in  cold  water 
for  t\velve  hours).  Fruit  juices  will  make  the  various 
foods  more  palatable,  and  give  variety.  The  beaten  white 
of  eggs  in  water,  malted  gruels,  fruit  juices  and  milk, 
buttermilk,  koumys,  about  cover  typhoid  dietaries,  except 
the  prepared  foods,  which  are  often  prescribed. 

The  lower  bowel  may  be  evacuated,  if  there  be  consti- 
pation, by  using  an  enema  of  tepid  water,  to  the  amount 
of  one  to  two  pints,  which  should  be  injected  high  up  m 
the  rectum. 

In  convalescence,  no  solid  food  can  be  given  for  at 
least  ten  days  or  two  weeks  after  the  fever  has  ceased.  Igno- 
rant but  well  meaning  people  have  caused  the  death  of 
many,  by  suggesting  that  this  or  that  will  not  hurt  the 
patient.  They  do  not  know  that  a  little  solid  food  or 
gaseous  fermentation  may  cause  perforation  of  the  bow- 
els, and  cause  the  death  of  the  patient.  To  prevent  im- 
prudence in  diet,  convalescents  should  be  constantly 
watched,  and  no  food  or  fruit  should  be  left  in  their 
rooms.  Pain  and  distention  of  the  bowels  call  for  imme- 
diate  medical  attention. 

Influenza — (La   Grippe). 
Influenza    is    an    infectious    disease    characterized    by 
catarrh  of  the  mucous  membranes  of  the  air  passages,  and 
alimentary   canal.     It  is  contagious,  and   the  bacilli  are 


414  INFLUENZA 

often   present   in   great   numbers,    even    after  the   severe 
symptoms  have  subsided. 

The  period  of  incubation  is  one  to  four  days.  Attacks 
begin  with  shght  fever,  chilliness,  headache,  depression 
of  spirits,  pains  in  various  parts  of  the  body,  and  watery 
discharges  from  the  nose. 

La  grippe  is  liable  to  afreet  any  organ  of  the  body,  and 
particularly  the  kidneys  and  nervous  system.  Isolation 
should  be  practiced  when  possible,  and  old  people  and 
invalids  should  be  especially  guarded  from  infection. 
Death  may  result  from  heart  failure  or  pneumonia. 
Diet. 

In  this  disease  it  is  desirable  for  the  patient  to  eat  as 
much  wheat  phosphates  as  possible,  as  nearly  all  per- 
sons who  are  seriously  afiflicted  with  la  grippe  have  im- 
poverished blood.  If  no  diarrhoea  exists,  wheat  bran 
boiled  four  hours,  dried  and  roasted  until  brown  and  then 
ground  to  fine  flour  and  eaten  with  milk,  or  milk  and 
beaten  egg,  will  give  surprising  results.  As  soon  as  im- 
provement begins  the  patient  should  have  all  the  nourish- 
ing food  that  can  be  digested.  Cream,  nut  oils,  malted 
nuts,  cereal  foods  well  cooked,  dry  bread,  toast  and 
meat  powder  may  be  added  to  the  dietary-.  The  exces* 
sive  use  of  coffee  helps  keep  up  the  nervousness  in  this 
disease. 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 

WHAT  TO  DO  IN  ACCIDENTS  AND 

EMERGENCIES. 

When  a  large  blood  vessel  is  opened,  death  may  so 
quickly  result,  that  it  is  very  important  to  know  what  to 
do  to  stop  the  How  of  blood,  without  delay.  When  there 
is  a  cut  or  wound,  the  blood  may  either  be  a  bright  scar- 
let or  darker  hue.  The  first  is  arterial  blood  and  comes 
from  the  arteries  direct  from  the  heart.  The  darker  is 
venous,  comes  from  the  veins,  and  is  returning  to  the 
heart.  \'arious  means  of  arresting  the  flow  of  blood 
may  be  tried.  The  most  generally  useful  one  and  the 
one  most  readily  applied,  is  compression.  Pressure  may 
be  applied  in  various  ways.  The  pressure  of  the  hands 
may  be  used  to  control  the  flowing  blood  until  othef 
means  more  effectual  car  be  secured.  Anything  in  the 
way  of  a  belt  cord,  strap,  or  handkerchief,  when  drawn 
tight  enough  above  the  wound  will  stop  the  flow.  Even 
a  rope  of  hay  or  grass  quickly  twisted  together  will 
answer,  if  in  the  field  or  on  the  highway.  Should  the 
pressure  not  be  sufficient,  it  may  be  increased  by  placing 
a  short  stick  under  the  bandage  and  twisting  the  band- 
age upon  itself.  Other  methods  are  sometimes  neces- 
sary and  may  be  tried.  The  old  time  remedy  of  a  spider 
web  is  probably  a  successful,  but  by  no  means  safe  method, 
for  while  it  may  arrest  hemorrhage  it  may  poison  the 
wound.  Turpentine  may  be  used  and  besides  tending  to 
check  hemorrhage  it  also  cleanses  the  wound.  In  case 
of  punctured  wound  where  pressure  cannot  be  effectually 
applied,  the  wound  may  be  plugged  with  clean  linen,  satu- 
rated with  turpentine  and  water,  one  part  to  ten.     Strong 


416  NOSE  BLEEDING 

salt  solution,  may  be  used  in  absence  of  turpentine. 
Cold,  in  the  form  of  ice,  or  ver}^  cold  water  mav  be 
applied  to  wounds  and  adjacent  structures. 
Hemorrhage  from  the  Xose. 
Hemorrhage  or  bleeding  from  the  nose,  while  rarely 
a  dangerous  symptom,  is  frequently  so  severe  as  to  cause 
great  anxiety  to  the  patient  and  to  his  friends.  Slight 
hemorrhage  sometimes  occurs  in  those  of  robust  consti- 
tution, and  in  a  few  moments  ceases  spontaneously.  Such 
cases  need  no  treatment,  but  where  the  bleeding  is  fre- 
quent, or  in  great  quantity,  the  nostrils  should  be  exam- 
ined and  the  cause,  if  possible  removed.  Tlie  immediate 
methods  popularly  supposed  to  be  efficient  is  snuffing 
cold  water  up  the  nostrils.  This  is  a  measure  of  doubtful 
benefit.  Pressure  on  the  soft  part  of  the  nostrils  for  about 
five  minutes  will  frequently  control  the  most  severe  hem- 
orrhage. Vinegar  is  sometimes  used  for  the  same  pur- 
pose with  good  effect.  Water  may  be  used  at  times  with 
excellent  results,  and  does  most  good  in  the  form  of  a 
hot  foot  bath.     Cold  to  back  of  neck  is  also  good. 

Hemorrhage  from  the  lungs  may  be  confounded  with 
hemorrhage  from  the  stomach,  but^  the  following  pomts 
\v\\\  serve  to  distinguish  between  the  two:  That  from 
the  lungs  comes  on  suddenly  or  with  but  little  warning 
to  the  patient.  The  blood  is  coughed  up  and  usually 
preceded  by  a  tickling  sensation  in  the  throat;  the  blood 
is  bright  colored  and  frothy.  Hemorrhage  from  the  stom- 
ach is  usually  preceded  by  a  long  existing  stomach  or 
intestinal  trouble.  The  blood  is  usually  vomited  up  and 
mixed  with  particles  of  food,  but  is  not  frothy.  In  pul- 
monary hemorrhage  the  patient  should  be  placed  at  rest, 
and  ice  or  cloths  dipped  in  ice  water,  applied  to  the  chest 
and  neck.  Stimulants  should  not  be  given.  The  recum- 
bent position  should  be  maintained  and  the  patient  for- 


FRACTURES  417 

bidden  to  move  a  muscle.     Life  is  not  often  endangered 
and  slight  hemorrhages  cease  spontaneously. 

In  hemorrhage  from  the  stomach,  the  patient  may  be 
laid  atj^oss  the  bed  with  the  feet  hanging  down,  and  as 
in  pulmonary  hemorrhage,  should  be  kept  perfectly  quiet. 
Small  pellets  of  ice  may  be  swallowed  and  cold  cloths 
placed  over  the  stomach.  Iced  alum  whey  should  be  given 
every  few  minutes. 

Fractures. 
By  fracture,  we  mean  a  break  in  a  bone  or  cartilage. 
When  the  ends  of  the  bone  are  driven  through  the  skin, 
or  an  opening  made  that  permits"  the  atmosphere  to  enter, 
it  is  compound,  and  where  a  nerve,  artery  or  vein  is  in- 
jured, a  complicated  fracture.  The  immediate  treatment 
is  much  the  same.  The  first  thing  to  do  is  to  place  the 
limb  in  as  nearly  a  natural  position  as  possible.  This 
should  be  done  carefully  and  gently  lest  surrounding 
tissues,  arteries,  and  nerves  be  injured.  After  placing  the 
limb  in  position  it  should  be  so  maintained  by  means  of 
splints,  or  pieces  of  board.  When  a  leg  has  been  broken, 
it  may  be  tied  to  the  other.  If  on  the  road  or  in  the  fie'd, 
and  no  other  means,  are  obtainable  this  will  be  found  a 
very  useful  expedient.  A  broken  leg  requires  that  the 
support  should  extend  at  least  to  or  above  the  -niddle 
of  the  thigh.     The  latter  would  be  better. 

When  the  thigh  is  broken,  if  it  is  possible  to  secure 
one,  have  the  splint  extended  to  the  armpits,  A  broken 
-forearm  should  be  bent  at  the  elbow  and  extended  across, 
and  the  palm  of  the  hand  toward  the  body,  and  should  be 
maintained  in  this  position.  A  fractured  arm  may  be 
tied  to  the  body,  or  to  a  splint  extending  its  whole  length. 
If  bandages  cannot  be  secured  use  may  be  made  of  hand- 
kerchiefs, or  even  ropes  of  straw,  or  grass  may  be  made 
to  do  duty.     \Miere  ropes  or  short  bandages  are  used. 


418  POISONING 

they  should  be  tied  above  and  below  the  fracture,  leaving 
it  unbound  for  two  or  three  inches  either  way.  The 
splint  for  the  thigh  should  be  tied  to  the  body  just  below 
the  armpit,  around  the  waist,  and  several  times  between 
the  waist  and  foot.  A  shirt  may  be  torn  up  for  bandages. 
In  removing-  tht  clothing  from  a  broken  limb  it  is  best 
to  cut  it. 

Poisoning. 
Poisoning  requires  prompt  and  effective  treatment,  and 
the  patient's  life  depends  largely  upon  the  length  of  time 
that  has  elapsed  between  the  taking  of  the  poison,  and 
the  administration  of  an  appropriate  antidote.  The  first 
and  most  necessary  thing  in  poisoning  by  opium,  arsenic, 
phosphorus,  or  strychnia,  is  to  empty  the  stomach.  The 
patient  should  be  encouraged  to  take  large  draughts  of 
mustard  and  water,  if  readily  obtainable,  but  it  is  better 
to  use  salt  water,  or  even  warm  water,  than  wait  for 
something  better.  If  none  of  these  are  at  hand,  or  do  not 
produce  copious  vomiting,  it  should  be  induced  if  possible, 
by  tickling  the  throat  with  the  finger,  or  better  still,  if  at 
hand,  a  feather.  Should  the  patient's  hair  be  long  enougli, 
it  will  probably  do  as  well  as  a  feather.  Large  quantities 
of  liquids  hold  the  poison  in  solution,  distend  the  stomach 
and  make  the  vomiting  more  effective,  if  quickly  pro- 
duced. When  opium  has  been  taken,  and  the  stomich 
emptied,  the  patient  should  be  given  frequent  draughts 
of  strong  cofifee,  and  kept  constantly  moving  about,  if 
able,  but  if  not,  apply  cold  water  and  maintain  artificial 
respiration.  In  strychnia  poisoning,  administer  sedatives. 
The  best  ones  for  this  purpose  are  bromide  of  potassium 
of  sodium,  and  should  be  given  at  once  in  forty  grain 
doses.  If  neither  of  these  are  quickly  obtainable,  prepara- 
tions of  opium  such  as  laudanum  of  paregoric — usually 
found  in  everv  household — mav  be  substituted.     In  cases 


POISONING      BURNS  419 

of  poisoning  from  arsenic,  rat  poison  or  paris  green,  the 
patient  should  be  given  sulphate  of  magnesia  and  salt, 
and  kept  at  rest.  The  antidote  for  phosphorus  poisoning, 
after  vomiting,  is  a  small  dose  of  sulphate  of  copper,  and 
a  large  dose  of  magnesia.  Do  not  give  oil.  Milk  and 
whites  of  eggs  are  of  value  in  most  cases  of  poisoning.  In 
poisoning  by  acids,  and  alkalies,  we  have  not  only  the 
systemic  effects  to  deal  with,  but  also  their  more  painful 
and  destructive  locaJ  action.  They  vqij  rapidly  destroy 
the  lining  membranes  of  the  mouth,  oesophagus  and 
stomach,  and  If  their  action  is  not  quickly  arrested,  eat 
rapidly  into  deeper  tissues. 

\'omiting  in  these  cases  should  not  be  employed,  be- 
cause the  burning  of  the  oesophagus  incident  to  vomiting, 
will  likely  do  greater  harm.  Chemical  antidotes  should 
be  given  as  quickly  as  possible.  The  violent  efforts  at 
vomiting  may  cause  rupture  or  hemorrhage  of  the 
stomach,  if  the  destruction  of  tissue  has  been  extensive. 
In  poisoning  by  mineral  acids,  solutions  of  bicarbonate  ot 
soda  (baking  soda),  or  chalk,  should  be  given,  and  when 
these  cannot  be  obtained  quickly,  plaster  from  the  walls 
may  be  used.  In  carbolic  acid  poisoning,  give  sulphate 
of  magnesia  or  soda,  and  olive  oil  or  melted  fat — lard, 
butter,  etc.  In  poisoning  by  lye  give  weak  acids,  such 
as  vinegar  or  lemon  juice,  and  fats  and  oils. 
Burns. 

Burns  and  scalds  are  painful  accidents  of  frequent  oc- 
currence. They  may  vary  in  extent  from  a  slight  burn, 
destroying  or  inflaming  a  small  portion  of  the  skin  to  very 
extensive  ones  which  destroy  all  the  tissues  of  a  part.  The 
first  thing  to  be  done  is  to  remove  the  clothing.  I'his 
should  be  done  as  carefully  as  possible,  so  as  not  to  de- 
stroy the  blister  fo'-med.  The  burned  parts  should  be 
shielded  from  the,  air  at  once.     For  this  purpose,  sprinkle 


420  HYSTERICS 

over  the  burned  surface,  until  it  is  completely  hidden,  flour 
or  baking  soda.  White  lead  makes  an  excellent  covering. 
After  a  burn  has  been  dressed,  it  should  then  be  covered 
Ayarmly,  but  lightly.  Care  should  be  taken  to  prevent 
pressure  on  or  near  the  burned  part.  The  use  of  cold 
water  is  beneficial  and  grateful  to  burns.  The  part  or 
parts  affected,  may  be  immersed  in  cold  water  as  soon 
as  possible  after  the  burn,  and  kept  there  for  from  fifteen 
minutes  to  half  an  hour,  depending  upon  tne  intensity  of 
the  burn. 

Linseed  oil  and  lime  water  or  bicarbonate  of  soda,  ma> 
then  be  applied  to  good  advantage.  Any  pure  oil  is  use- 
ful, as  it  protects  the  burn  from  the  air. 

Burns  from  acids  may  be  relieved  by  applying  baking 
soda  or  soap;  burns  from  lye  may  be  relieved  by  vinegar. 

The  effect  of  prolonged  cold  is  to  stop  the  circulation  ol 
the  blood,  which  is  followed  by  loss  of  feeling  in  the  in- 
jured parts. 

The  circulation  in  the  part  frozen,  should  be  re-estab- 
lished gradually,  and  this  is  best  done  by  keeping  the 
patient  in  a  cold  room  and  rubbing  vigorously  with  snow 
or  cold  water.  In  severe  cases  of  freezing,  there  is  dan- 
ger of  gangrene  of  the  part  affected. 
Hysterics. 

Hysterics  may  be  defined  as  a  nervous  explosion.  It  is 
probably  best  treated  in  mild  attacks,  by  taking  no  notice 
of  it,  or  by  attracting  the  patient's  attention  to  something 
in  which  she  may  be  much  interested.  Rubbing  the  limbs 
and  chest  will  afford  great  relief. 

In  fainting,  nature  assures  the  patient  taking  the  best 
position  possible,  from  the  fact  that  the  patient  falls  and 
lies  in  a  horizontal  position  until  consciousness  returns. 
If  for  any  reason,  the  patient  has  not  fallen  into  such  a 
position,  he  should  at  once  be  laid  down. 


DROWNING  421 

Do  not  attempt  to  raise  a  person  who  has  fallen  in  a 
faint,  but  let  him  lie,  and  loosen  the  clothing  about  the 
neck  and  chest. 

The  face  may  be  sprinkled  with  cold  water. 

Drowning. 

All  clothing  should  be  loosened.  The  patient  should  be 
placed  over  a  barrel,  or  the  feet  elevated,  in  fact,  stood  on 
his  head  for  a  few  minutes;  this  should  be  done  even  in 
the  seemingly  most  hopeless  cases,  and  no  effort  should 
be  spared  in  the  attempt  to  restore  consciousness.  After 
he  has  been  rolled  on  the  barrel,  or  otherwise  emptied  of 
water,  artificial  respiration  should  be  tried.  The  patient 
should  be  laid  on  the  back,  with  shoulders  elevated,  a 
coat,  shawl,  or  stick  of  wood,  will  answer  the  purpose. 
Anything  that  may  have  found  entrance  into  the  mouth 
should  be  removed  by  inserting  the  finger,  and  it  would 
be  well  to  always  make  an  examination  in  this  way.  The 
tongue  should  then  be  drawn  out  of  the  mouth  and  held. 

To  practice  artificial  respiration,  kneel  down  above  the 
head,  grasp  both  elbows,  bring  them  horizontally  from 
the  sides  over  the  head,  until  they  almost  meet,  then  pull 
strongly  for  a  few  seconds,  return  them  to  the  sides  and 
press  with  force  against  the  ribs.  The  movement  should 
then  be  repeated,  until  natural  respiration  has  been  re- 
stored. As  soon  a's  possible  the  patient  should  be  given 
stimulants.     It  is  always  important  that  he  be  kept  warm. 

Gas  Poisoning. 
Persons  are  overcome  by  the  impure  air  of  deep  wells, 
and  other  foul  places,  as  well  as  by  illuminating  gas.  The 
treatment  is  the  same  in  all  cases  of  this  character.  Tlie 
patient  should  be  placed  in  the  open  air,  and  if  in  a  room, 
the  windows  and  doors  should  be  opened  at  once,  the 
patient's  clothing  loosened,  and  artificial  respiration  as  in 


422  SHOCK 

drowning  practiced.     Whisky    or    brandy    may    also    be 
given. 

Epilepsy. 

Epilepsy  requires  the  same  treatment  as  fainting,  except 
that  care  must  be  taken  to  prevent  biting  the  tongue ;  this 
may  be  done  by  placing  a  handkerchief  or  piece  of  wood 
between  the  teeth. 

Shock. 

Shock  follows  injuries  from  violence.  The  patient 
should  be  covered  with  warm,  but  light  coverings,  and  the 
bodily  temperature  maintained  by  means  of  hot  water  ap- 
plications. Bottles  or  tins  filled  with  water  and  placed 
at  the  feet  and  armpits  and  other  portions  of  the  body,  is 
the  most  convenient  form  of  applying  heat.  The  patient 
should  lie  with  head  lower  than  the  body.  Stimulants  in 
the  form  of  liquors  or  strong  cofifee  may  be  given,  and  if 
the  patient  is  unable  to  swallow,  the  liquor  may  be  mixed 
with  water,  one  pait  to  three,  and  injected  into  the  rectum. 


INDEX. 


Anaemic  Woimn,    247,  SS6;  diet  for 

388. 
Acids,  effect  <>n  starch,  249, 
Accidents  ihat  cauoe  bleeding,  415. 
Acn<r.  405. 
Absorption,  Si>. 
Aged,  diet  lor.2fin. 
Apoplexy,  4o:>. 
,\pricot,  1'.2. 

Apples,  1S5;  .ipple  rider,  186. 
Appetite  not  a  guide,  22<>,  2".  (), 
^Vrrow  root,  104. 
Artichoke,  110. 

Asparagus,  its  properties,  lOH. 
Asphyxiation,  drowning,  gas,  421. 
Asthma,  388. 
Alcoholic  liquors,  eflfects  of  on  empty 

stomach,  38;  geufiral  effects,  219  to 

222. 
Athletes,  diet  for,  261-2-3. 


Banana,  195-6. 

Barley  and  barley  water,  88,  malt,  88. 
Beans,  99;  why  ca  se  llatulence,  101; 
value  as  food,  102 ;  acids  and  beans, 
102;  bean  soup,  103;  string  beans, 
103;  beans  for  sick  headache;  103; 
string  beans  for  constipation,  103. 

Beaumont's  experiments,  22. 

Beef,  151;  beef  fat,  152;  how  used, 
waste,  and  how  excreted,  152;  beef 
tea,  156. 

Beet,  108. 

Bile  in  digestion,  33. 

Bilious  attacks,  340. 

Biscuit,  61,66. 

Bleeding,  how  to  stop,  415. 

Blackberries,  1U4. 

Blood  poisoning,  407. 

Brains  as  food,  157. 

Bread,  53 ;  elements  of  ,54 ;  proportion 
of  heat  and  tissue  formers,  55;  re- 
fined Hour,  56;  hot  and  cold  61; 
doughy  bread,  pancakes,  etc.,  62; 
faults  in  making,  62;  fresh,  stiile 
and  toast  bread,  63;  kinds  of,  64; 
crackers  ,67;  rye  bread  75;  corn 
bread,  75 ;  bread  and  meat  79. 

Briglil's  disease,  375;  diet  in,  376. 


Buckwheat,  78. 
Hums,  419. 

Butter,  145;  effects  of  cooking,  146; 
buttermilk,  146. 
C 
Cabbage,  106;  uses,  107. 
Cake,  61. 
C-mcer,  .348,  352. 
Cauliflower.  108. 
Carrots ,  108. 
Catarrh  of  stomach,  340, 
Cathartics  increase  constipation  359. 
Cellulose,  per  cent  in  food,  282. 
Celery,  113, 
Cereals  and  acids,  80. 
Cereal  coffee,  218. 
Cereals, roasted,  270. 
Cheese,  147;  incompatible  with  acid.s 

and  tea,  147-8. 
Cherry,  192. 
Chicken,  1C4. 
Chocolate,  218. 
Citron,  200. 

Classification  of  foods,  41. 
Cocoa,  217. 

Coffee,  214 ;  inebriety ,  215. 
Condiments,  2o7. 

Corn,  elements,  76;  cheapest,  269. 
Corn  bread,  76 ;  mush,  76 ;  starch,  76 ; 
green  corn,  76;  hominy  grits,  77; 
parched,  78;  pop  corn,  78. 
Crackers,  67. 
Cranberries,  194. 

Cream,  141:  most    useful    fat,     142; 
evaporated  cream    149;  ice  cream, 
149;  use  in  ulcer,  149; 
Croup,  406. 
Currants,  195. 
Cold,  cause  ot,  319,  397;  how  to  cure 

3;  IS. 
Constipation,  effects  of  in  puberty, 
247;  delined,357;  causes,  358;  elfects 
359;  cathartics  increase,  3.59;     bran 
in,  361;  laxative  foods,  .361;  exercise 
hotand  cold  douches;  362, 
Consumption,  379;  diet  in,  .380. 
Canlinement,  diet  in,  254 

I> 


424 


INDEX. 


Deformity  from  dress,  329-30-31-32. 
Diabetes,  lettuce  in.  113;  origin  of, 

377;  diet,  378. 
Diarrhoea,  causes.  362-3;  diet  in.  364 

chronic,  364. 
Dietetic  errors,  257-8;    diet  in  labor, 
274;  when  vegetable   preferable  to 
meat.  134;  diet  for  aged,  260-1;  for 
athletes.  261-2-3. 

Dietaries,  271-2-3-4;  with  meat  once  a 
day,  272-3;  laborer's  diet,  273-4; 
without  meat.  274-.Q;  in  acnte  dis- 
eases, general  principles.  311;  un- 
suitable. 320. 

Digestion,  what  it  is,  14;  uses  of  sali- 
va, 15;  salivary  glands,  16;  temper- 
ature of  salivary, 17;  foul  mouth,  18; 
period  of,  27  to  30;  temperature.  29; 
of  fats,  27;  mind  and,  29;  tea  in,  30; 
pancreatic  juice  in,  32;  bile  in.  33; 
intestinal  glands  In,  35;  in  large 
Intestines  ?5;  essentials  of,  .36;  ex- 
ercise and.  40 ;  effects  of  cold  drinks 
48;  experiments  on  St.  Martin,  21; 
food  leaves  the  stomach,  23;  gastric 
digestion,  25;  uses  of  foods  easy 
and  difficult,  100;  salt  meat,  pork, 
162;  when  fruit  aids,  182. 

Diphtheria,  402. 

Dilatation  of  stomach,  349;  cut  show- 
ing prominence  of.  350;  symptoms 
many  :ind  varied.  ,S52;  diet  in,  353; 
soup  not  suitable  in,  103. 

Disease,  imagination  and,  293;  a  hu- 
morous illu  tration,  293-4  causes 
of,  316;  self-inflicted, 317;  overwork 
waste,  318. 

Doughnuts,  61. 

Drinking  folly,  323. 

Dress  as  cause  ot  disease,  327. 

Drowning,  421. 

Drags,  taken  by  mother  affects 
nursing  child,  255.  abuse  of,  326. 

Dysentery.  3*^5. 

E 

Eczema,  405. 

Eggs,  167,  too  little  waste,  168;  prop- 
erties, 1G8;  egg  lemonade,  cooking, 
166. 

Elderberries,  144. 


Epilepsy,  387,  422 

Erysipelas,  409. 

Erythema,  405. 

Exercise,  319. 

F 

Fats,  fat  and  flesh  169;  use,  170;  foods 
that  produce  170;  why  fats  disagree. 

Feeding  the  sick,  307;  requisites,  307- 
8;  frequency  of,  399;  unconscious 
patients,  310;  water  and  air,  3i0; 
preparation  of  foods,  311-12;  fruits 
for,  313;  drinks,  313-14. 

Fractures,  417. 

Flour,  reflned,  56;  Graham,  59;  entire 
wheat,  59-60. 

Food,  indigestible  necessary,  57; 
wheat  called  perfect,  58;  breakfast 
Ralston,  68;  Granose,  70;  Granola, 
72;  crystal  wheat,  72;  gluten,  biscuit 
Goflo,  zwieback,  germ,  73;  malted 
gluten,  74;  when  vegetable  foods, 
134;  growth  and  hard  labor,  258;  re- 
quired for  different  conditions, 259; 
heat  or  force  producing  value,table, 
26.^;  food  equivalents,  267-8;  cheap- 
est meal,  269;  average  meal,  270; 
analyses,  table,  277-286;  why  food 
disagi-ees  with  people,  288;  incom- 
patible foods,  325;  irritating  sub- 
stances, drugs,  irregular  habits, 
326;  laxative  foods,  361. 

Figs,  199. 

Fish,  165;  shellfish,  166. 

Fowl.  164,  wild  game.  164. 

Fruits,  175,  proper  uses,  176;  secon- 
dary effects,  177;  why  fniit  cleanses, 
when  harmful, 178;excessive  acidity 
of  stomach.  179;  effects  of  tainted 
fruit.  180-1;  fruits  aid  digestion^ 
when.  182:  when  to  eat,  183;  apple, 
185;  peach.  187;  pear,  188;  grape.  189; 
quince, 190;  plum,  191;  cherry, apri- 
cot, strawberry  ,192;  astringent  ber- 
ries, 194;  banana,  196;  lemon  for 
toilet,  197;  orange  and  pineapple, 
198:  lime,  dates,  flgs.  199;  how  pre- 
served, 200;  analyses.  285. 
G 

Game,  164. 

Garlic.  118. 


INDEX. 


425 


Gastric  glands.-. 

Gastric  juice,  etfecvo  on  (>iarch   and 

cellulose,  27. 
Gastritis,  340;  diet  in.  .S41. 
Ginger  ale.  22H. 

Girls,  what  they  should  be  taught,  247 
Gooseberries,  194. 
Grape.  ISO. 
Greens,  115. 

H 
Habits  cause  idios\  norasies,  288. 
Haenior'-hiige,    40:^,    415;    from    the 


DOS 


416. 


Headache,  394. 

Heartburn,  17-. 

Heart  disease,  333,  382-3;  failure,  8S4. 

Heat  and  cold,  334. 

Hives,  405. 

Hominy,  77. 

Hot  and  cold  douches  in  eonsiijia- 
tion.  362. 

Hyperchlorhydria  and  hypersecre- 
tion, 343,  diet  in,  345. 

Hysterics,  420 

I 

Iceland  moss,  106. 

Idiosyncrasy  and  idiosyncrasia,  287; 
classes  of,  288:  due  to  habits, 2s<)-i)0; 
popular  errors,  290;  idiosyncrasia. 
296-7-8. 

Immorality,  cause  of,  293. 

Influenza,  413. 

Infant  feeding,  225;  no  instinct,  226; 
tiible  of  quantity  and  feedings  for 
different  ages, 227;  artificial  feeding, 
228;  nursing  bottles,  233;  when  milk 
disagrees, 233;  broths,  gmels,  234; 
weaning,  235;  after  weaning,  236; 
prohibited  foods,  237;  suitable 
foods,  238;  first  pv  riod,  239;  secou  1 
period,  240;  third  period,  240- 1;  in- 
fant mortality,  241;  children's  diet- 
aries, 242-3,  results  of  improper 
feeding,  292. 

Insomnia,  food  for,  39;  cause  of,  381 . 

Intestines,  structure,  31;  glands,  34: 
peristaltic  action,  3.5;  disease,  333, 
3o7;constipati  n,  357-362;  diarrhoea 
363;  dysentery,  piles,  intestinal  in- 
digestion, 365. 


Indigestion,  bread  a  cause,  60;  defi- 
cient or  excessiTC  secretion,  288-9' 
foods  that  cause,  291;  causes,  315; 
exercise,  319;  unsuitable  diet,  320: 
overeating,  320-1;  imperfect  masti- 
cation, 322;  drinking,  323;  foul 
mouths,  324;  deficient  diet.  324;  in- 
compatible foods,  too  little  food, 
.T25;  caused  by  faulty  dress,  327; 
other  diseases,  3.33;  heat,  cold,  light 
334;  constipation,  357, 

Introductory,  1. 

Individual  responsibility,  i. 
J 

Jaundice,  372. 

Kidney  diseases,  375. 

Kohlrabi,  110. 

Knowledge  of  food  of  first  import- 
ance, 11;  essential  to  proper  living 
292. 

LaGrippe,  413. 

Leanness,  389;  diet  in, 390. 

Legumes,  99. 

Lemon,  197. 

Lettuce,  113. 

Lobster,  167. 

Lockjaw,  410. 

Lime,  fruit,  199. 

Lime,  water,  140. 

Liver  as  food,  167;  functions,  369; 
diseases  of,  333,  369;  symptions  and 
diet,  372-3, 

M 

Macaroni,  67. 

Malaria,  333,  399. 

Malt,  88. 

Meat,  use  and  abuse,  131-2-3;  prop- 
erties, 161;  composition,  151;  sav- 
ages as  meat  eaters,  153;  diseases 
due  to  excessive  meat  eating,  153; 
food  of  athletes,  153-4;  fried  meat, 
154-5;  cooking  meat,  155-6;  meat 
powder,  156;  why  it  spoils  so  quick- 
ly'159;  salt  meat,  162;  ham,  bacon, 
fresh  pork,  163;  fowl,  164. 

Meals,  frequency  of,  .36;  principal 
one,. 38;  at  bedtime,  39. 

Mental  impressions,  pre-natal  and 
po  t-natal,293;  humorous  examples 
293-4-5;  will  in  overcoming, 293. 


426 


INDEX. 


Minerals  in  the  system,  42;  foods 
mast  contain  them,  43. 

Milk,  137;  human,  analysis,  138;  why 
milk  disagrees,  139;  alkaline  dl- 
Inents,  139;  cereal  diluents,  140; 
boiling,  140 ;  gelatine,  141;  acids  and 
milk,  141;  milk  infection,  142;  Pas- 
teurizing, 143;  sterilizing,  144;  food 
for  children,  144;  proper  use,  145; 
goat's  milk,  145;  condensed  milk, 
malted  milk,  149;  milk  shake,  150. 

Morality,  and  physical  life, 293. 

Mouth,  care  of.  309;  foul,  324. 

Mulberry,  lq5. 

Mumps,  410. 

Mutton,  ISg. 

N 

Nephritis,  376;  diet  in  370. 

Nervous  dyspepsia  33<i;  symptoms, 
337;  diet  in,  339. 

Nose  bleeding,  416. 

Nursing,  drugs  in,  255;  diet  in  and  at 
weaning,  25S. 

Nuts,  peanuts,  202;chestnnts,pecans, 

walnuts,  hazelnuts,  lirazil    nut,-^, 

203;  cocoanuts,  204;nutfoods, 204-5- 

6;  analysis,  286. 

O 

Oats,  81;  oat  meal  irritating, Rl ;  cook- 
ing, 82;  how  to  eat,  84:  flavoring,  86; 
when  not  to  eat,  87;  acids  and  oat- 
meal, 88. 

Obesity,  391;  eflFects  of  fat,  392;  diet. 
in,  392-8-4. 

Orange,  198. 

Overeating,  how  to  prevent,  248; 
cause  of  indigestion-  320. 

Onion,  116;  onion  breath,  117. 

Oysters,  166. 

P 

Pain,  causes,  299;  sensitiveness,  300; 
neglected,  effect  of,  300 ;  reflex,  301 ; 
no  natural.  301 ;  painless  diseases 
302;misleading,  303;  duration  of,  304". 
how  to  prevent,  304-5. 

Pancreas,  functions,  32;  as  food  157; 
diseases,  367. 

Parental  folly,  292. 

Parsnip,  109, 

Peristaltic  movement,  35. 


Peas,  99;  with  other  foods,  102;  ptftB 
and  acids,  102. 

Peach,  187. 

Pear,  188. 

Peanuts,  202. 

Pepper,  119,  207, 

Piles,  365. 

Pine  apples,  198. 

Pleurisy,  408. 

Plum.  191, 

Pneumonia,  404. 

Poisoning,  418. 

Pork,  161,  fat  and  lean  meat,  162. 

Potato,  91;  properties  and  uses,  81; 
digestibility,  92;  fried  potatoes,  92; 
methods  of  cooking,  98;  potato  sal- 
ad, 94;  Potato  and  meat,  94;  po- 
tato starch,  94;  why  popular  94. 

Potato,  sweet,  95;  a  rich  food,  95. 

Pregnancy,  334;  vomiting  in,  339. 

Pre-natal  influences,  248;  fruit  diet 
makes  easy  child  birth,  249. 
dietaries,     250:    few    varieties    of 
food  at  each  meal,  254;   pre  -natal 
impressions,  293; 

Puberty,  increased  demands  in,  245; 
lack  of  care  in,  246;  causes  of  wom- 
an's ills,  246;  diet,  247. 

Pumpkin,  118. 

Q 

Quince,  189, 

R 

Kice,  ^5;  extensively  used,  gS;  health- 
fulness  of,  96;  compared  with  pota- 
to, 96;  flavoring,  97. 

Rickets ,  385. 

Uadish,  II9. 

Uaspberries,  144. 

Itoot  beer,  223. 

S 

Sago,  105;  sago  milk,  105. 

Salsify,  110. 

Saliva,  16;  prevents  starch  indiges- 
tion. 270. 

Salt,  208. 

Scarlet  fever,  400. 

Pcrofua,  408. 

Septicaemia,  407. 

Shock,  422. 

Sick,  feeding,  .%7. 


INDEX. 


427 


Skin  Diseases,  405. 

Sleeplessness,  381. 

Smell,  sense  of,  peculiarities,  2ttt)-"-8 

Soda  water,  222. 

Soup,  canned,  380. 

sonr  krout,  107. 

Spices,  209-10;  uses. 

Stomach,  cuts,  20,  351 ;  digestion  in, 
25;  inadequate  for  present  usage. 
■-"IS;  food  remains  in,  27;  removed 
from  dogs,  26;  excessive  acidity, 
17P;  diseases  of.  335;  nervous  dys 
popsia,  336;  diet  in,  3.39,  gastritis, 
340;  dietin,341;  excessive  secretion 
343;  diet  in,  345;  ulcer.  346;  cancer, 
348;  dilated  stomach,  cuts,  350-1; 
diet  in.  353-4-5. 

Stimulants,  elTects  of,  212-13. 

Strawberry,  192. 

Stricture  of  pylorus,  351. 

Suicide  universal,  6. 

Sweetbread,  157. 

Sugar,  125;  injury  from,  12«;  candv, 
128. 

T 

Table  showing  force  producing 
Talue  of  food,  263;  of  tissue  food, 
264 

Tapioca.  104. 

Tea,  215;  effect  on  digestion.  30;   in 


uric  acid,  diathesis,  216. 
Tetanus,  410. 
Tom;tto,  111;  an  appetizer.  112;   how 

to  use,  112, 
Tongue  as  food.  158. 
Tonsilitis.  397. 
Tripe;  157. 

Tuberculosis,  379;  diet  in.  380. 
Turkey,  164. 
Turnip,  109. 

Typhoid  fever,  411;  eflfects,  412;  diet, 
413. 

V 
Vegetables,  coarse,  value  as    food, 

271, 
Vegetwianism,  129;  mistaken  notions 

about  vegetable  foods,  130;   reason 

for  alleged  failures  of    vegetable 

diet,  13.3. 
Venison,  159. 
Vinegar,  209. 
Viscera,  159. 

W 
Waste  in  foods,  278,  284,  of  the  body. 

318,  too  little,  325. 
Water.  44;  sources  of  impurities,  45; 

quantity  required,  46;  ice  water,  46; 

cracked  ice,  47;  hot  water  as  drink 

49, 
Water  closets  defective,  .S62. 
Wheat,  the  nearest  perfect  food,  58 
Whooping  cough,  408, 


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